


Exhale

by stonerbughead



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety, Bughead Stoner College AU, But no hard drugs, Cheryl and Betty are best friends, Cute stoned dates galore, Demisexual Jughead Jones, Eventual Smut, Eventual Stoner!Bughead, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Insomnia, Loss of Virginity, Lots of smoking weed and some drinking, Medicinal Drug Use, Mentions of Toxic Parents, Mentions of alcoholism, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn, Stoner!Betty, background Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, mentions of drug addiction, mentions of past emotional abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 23:45:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 119,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonerbughead/pseuds/stonerbughead
Summary: Bughead College Stoner AU set in Boston. Demi/Virgin/Insomniac!Jughead meets Stoner/Virgin!Betty. Background Cheryl/Toni.Anxious stoner babes Cheryl Blossom and Betty Cooper have been best friends and roommates since freshman year of college. Cheryl and Toni Topaz are seriously dating, drawing Betty and Toni’s best friend Jughead Jones together. Betty is instantly attracted to Jughead and Jughead is immediately intrigued by Betty. The two become friends, and as they grow closer, Jughead slowly but surely starts to fall for Betty - and eventually Betty shows Jughead the ways weed can help his insomnia.





	1. May 19, 2018

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a Bughead fanfic and the first time I've written fic in nearly a decade. I won't hide that this partially draws from my own experiences going to college in Boston and starting to smoke weed medicinally for my own anxiety when I met my boyfriend, which we both do medicinally/recreationally to the present day. One of the main reasons I relate so closely to Betty is because of her anxiety disorder, so I wanted to explore a Betty who uses weed to soothe her anxiety, as I do. And I love strong stoner ladies so much, so there is going to be a lot of cute friendship moments with stoner babes Cheryl and Betty to come.
> 
> Drop a comment if you liked it! Would love to hear from you all. Love and hugs, Maria  
> Follow me on Tumblr at witty-tv or on my Riverdale podcast Tumblr, bodysuitsforbughead

If one thing was for certain, it was that Cheryl was in an absolute frenzy. Kevin and Betty sat at the table in Cheryl and Betty’s shared Allston apartment, trying to steer clear of the tornado cloud that is Cheryl Blossom, as they patiently waited for her to finish rearranging all the furniture to her liking. As she ran to her room looking for an extra set of Christmas lights she swore she had in her closet, Kevin turned to Betty.

“Why is Cheryl freaking out this time exactly?” he asked, fingering the cherry red tablecloth covering Cheryl and Betty’s Ikea table. 

Betty laughed and rolled her eyes. “She keeps acting like this is the very first time that Toni’s friends and our friends are hanging out, but we’ve met all of Toni’s friends before! We’ve hung out with Sweet Pea and Fangs plenty, and we’ve met Jughead a few times.”

“We’ve definitely seen Jughead less, but why?” Kevin asked, realizing he can’t remember the last time they saw Jughead.

Betty shrugged. “I think he works at that coffee shop on the corner of Comm and Harvard Ave so he works weird hours, and a lot of them. At least that’s what Toni always says, and she’s the closest to him apparently.”

“Right,” Kevin said slowly. “I never really go in there. I feel like it’s always busy when I try. Anyway. Why is Cheryl suddenly freaking out now? Cheryl and Toni made it official like, months ago. They’ve been serious all semester, so why freak out now?”

Cheryl and Toni had started seriously dating about four months ago, after casually hooking up for three months before that. Throughout their junior year of college, Toni and her cast of friends had become an increasingly frequent presence in Cheryl and Betty’s life. 

“She said she wants our friends to properly meet so we can all hang out all summer or some shit. I think she has grandiose plans for weekends in P-Town and days off driving out to Concord to swim.” She cracked a smile when Kevin burst out laughing. When the laughter died down, Betty said quietly, “I think she’s just really excited to finally have a girlfriend, after dealing with all the homophobia from her mom. She just wants to have that idyllic summer with her friends and new girlfriend.” She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I’m happy for her.”

Kevin closed his eyes and sighed. “So am I, so am I. If anyone can relate to the traumas of internalized small town homophobia, it’s me.” He leaned across the table where Cheryl had assembled an over-the-top spread of chips, dips, and various charcuterie. Kevin shot Betty a mischievous look. “But we can be happy for her...stoned, right?”

Betty laughed, taking in the feast, before getting to her feet and grabbing a bag out of the sidetable. “One step ahead of ya,” she said, pulling her royal blue mini bong out of its case. It was the first piece she ever bought with her own money. Freshman year, with Cheryl, at that head shop on Comm Ave near Kenmore. She pulled out her silver grinder and the apartment’s communal jar of weed and started grinding up a nug. Kevin got up to pour them drinks as Cheryl came rushing back in, Christmas lights in hand.

“Found them! Told you I had them…” she paused, taking in the sight of Betty pinching weed into the bowl of the bong. “Oh, thank God,” she said, placing her hand dramatically on her chest. “I really need to fucking smoke.”

Betty finished packing the bowl and got up to hand the bong and lighter to Cheryl, who took a deep first hit, exhaling a large plume of white smoke with a sigh. “Much better,” she whispered, passing to Betty. 

Betty nodded and playfully bumped Cheryl’s hip with her own. “Always better,” she whispered, alluding to a vulnerable moment the two had shared freshman year, when a late night walk around the Boston Common had led to them bonding over their mental health disorders. That night, Cheryl had confided in Betty that she had started smoking marijuana to help soothe her anxiety and depression over the summer and it had really helped. That night, Betty found two things that set her free: the medicinal uses of weed, but also a best friend. Betty and Cheryl had been inseparable ever since.

Kevin danced his way over to Cheryl and Betty from the table, drinks in hand, as Drake’s “Nice For What” played from Cheryl’s speaker. By the time the doorbell rang fifteen minutes later, Cheryl was dancing to Janelle Monae with Kevin and Betty, having long forgotten her frantic and slightly irrational worries, smoke creating a familiar haze in the air as they passed the bong back and forth.

“I’ll get it!” Cheryl said, giddy with excitement at the night ahead, hoping that she and Toni’s friends would get along. 

“Oh, hey,” she said, laughing, when she saw their friends Josie, Valerie, Melody, and Moose standing on the other side. “Come on in, ladies.” Moose tipped an imaginary hat at her and she blew him a kiss. 

“Do Toni’s friends know our whole crew is made up of powerful women and even more powerful gays?” Moose asked, bumping his roommate Kevin playfully on the top of the head as he passed him to grab a drink. 

“Of course. That’s why I’m the queen, for I am a powerful woman and a powerful gay,” Cheryl declared, laughing as Betty blew smoke in her face.

“Bitch!” Cheryl cried, waving her hand futilely at the smoke.

“Good, get this out now,” Josie said, grabbing the bong from Betty. “Don’t be fighting in front of our guests.”

“You live here now, Josie?” Valerie teased from behind. The group settled on the couches, perched with drinks in hand, passing the bong as Cheryl’s playlist continued.

“The vibe is getting real ominous in here,” Betty laughed. “It’s gonna be so fun, Cheryl, don’t worry!”

“What time did you tell Ton-” Kevin asked, but the doorbell ringing cut him off.

Cheryl quickly jumped to her feet, squealing when the door opened to reveal her pink-hair girlfriend standing on the other side, with Toni’s three guy friends standing awkwardly behind her. There was the very tall Sweet Pea, dressed in a leather jacket, impeccably styled hair, and trendy boots; the short and sweet Fangs, wearing a graphic tee underneath his denim jacket; and the broody, dark-haired Jughead, dressed as usual in an S T-shirt, flannel, and denim sherpa jacket.

“Sorry we’re late, babe, Sweet Pea took forever to get ready,” Toni laughed, leaning forward to give Cheryl a quick kiss.

“It’s true,” Sweet Pea said, hugging Cheryl as the group walked in. “I have to work hard to look this good.” Jughead and Fangs laughed as they came into the living room.

Betty looked up at the group nervously. The truth was that before Cheryl and Toni had officially started dating - around the time the two of them had just been hooking up - Cheryl and Betty had had an ongoing joke about how hot Betty found the guy who worked at the coffee shop near their apartment. He was always pretty friendly, but never in a flirtatious way. Just in a genuine, nice way. She was very drawn to him, until she found out he was Toni’s best friend right when Cheryl and Toni were starting to get serious. Not wanting to further complicate things, she never said anything to Toni and the joke died. 

Because Jughead was so busy, she had been introduced to him a few times and continued to have friendly conversations with him when she saw him at the coffee shop, but nothing much changed besides one of them always making some sort of joke or comment about Cheryl and Toni. An acknowledgment of the people that joined them, simply stated out loud. But he rarely ended up at the parties they went to, except for the rare occasion or two Toni dragged him along, and Toni usually came over to their apartment to hang out alone. Betty and Jughead were still essentially friendly strangers, and Betty couldn’t help but hope that something, anything would happen tonight to change that.

“Okay, introductions,” Cheryl said, clapping her hands together. 

Kevin sighed loudly. “Oh my God, Cheryl, we all know each other!”

Toni shot him a “you’re-never-going-to-win-this-fight” look. 

“Now that TT and I have been hot and heavy,” Cheryl winked at Toni, “for over four months, we want our friends to be friends.”

Toni nodded in agreement. “AKA, we should all hang out more often.”

“I think we can all toast to that!” Moose cheered, scrambling to grab drinks for Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead. Jughead refused the drink, looking down at his feet. Betty noticed from where she was still sitting on the couch with the bong, but looked away quickly before he could catch her staring.

“To many more hang-outs to come! Cheers!” Toni declared, raising her beer can. Everyone raised their red cups and cans.

People started drinking more and chatting and soon Josie, Valerie, and Melody got to their feet and Melody changed the song to “Get Me Bodied,” Cheryl’s favorite Beyonce song. Before you knew it, nearly everyone was dancing. 

On the couch, Betty ripped the bong, clearing the bowl and sighing as she ashed it. Pack another bowl? She looked down at the gin and tonic in her cup, almost gone. She had no desire to drink more, and she was definitely not drunk enough to dance. She glanced across the room and noticed Jughead sitting by himself at the table, watching his friends dance with a neutral expression on his face. 

Now or never. She gulped and rose to her feet, bong and grinder in hand as she approached the table. “Hey, Jughead,” she said, softly, not wanting to startle him. He looked to be in his own world.

But he turned to her with a small smile on his face. “Hey, Betty,” he said.

“Mind if I sit here? I am not nearly drunk enough to dance at the moment,” she explained bashfully.

Jughead nodded and Betty sat down, immediately packing another bowl. Jughead’s eyes widened slightly. He noticed the quick and deft movement of her hands. She must do this a lot.

“Want a hit?” Betty asked politely, offering the bong to him.

Jughead shook his head. “All yours,” he said. “I don’t smoke.”

Betty exhaled a medium-sized hit. “Don’t like it or never have?” she asked, then quickly added, “No judgment either way, of course.”

Jughead laughed. “Never have. I don’t drink either, because...well, there was just a lot of shitty associations with alcohol in our neighborhood growing up.” He glanced over at Toni, who was laughing loudly at something Sweet Pea said, and his eyes flickered over Fangs pouring himself another drink and talking to Moose and Melody.

Betty followed the path of Jughead’s eyes. “You all grew up together, right?”

“Yep, in Jamaica Plain. We kinda watched it slowly but surely become what it is now.”

“Nice white people and their babies?”

Jughead smiled, pleased she wasn’t one of those spoiled Boston college kids completely oblivious to the gentrification surrounding them. “Don’t forget the yoga studios.”

“And the ‘cute little cafes,’” Betty said, putting on her best basic white girl voice.

Jughead laughed loudly at that, and they started talking about JP, Jughead telling her about some of his old favorite spots that had been shuttered, victims of the gentrification tearing through Boston’s historically working-class neighborhoods, and, predominantly, communities of color.

Engrossed in a conversation about the socioeconomic effects of gentrification, neither Betty nor Jughead noticed as Toni whipped her head around and stared at the pair. Toni spotted Cheryl talking to Valerie and came up behind her, wrapping her arms around Cheryl’s front to settle on her hips. Valerie quickly excused herself.

“What’s up, babe?” Cheryl asked, beaming.

“Did you notice your Betty and my Jughead are hitting it off over there?” 

Cheryl’s eyes widened, immediately remembering Betty’s old crush from the pre-Toni-as-girlfriend days.

“What?” Toni asked, taken aback.

“She’s gonna kill me…” Cheryl whispered. “...But...Betty kind of...thinks Jughead’s hot? And has for a long time?” 

Toni smirked. “A lot of people think that, so I’m not surprised. Why hasn’t this come up sooner?”

“Because she didn’t want to ‘complicate things’ once you and I started really dating,” Cheryl explained with air quotes. “But I always told her I wouldn’t care if they got involved. Would you?” 

Toni frowned. “Well...I wouldn’t mind, but you know Jughead’s demi, right?” 

Cheryl nodded. “Right, I remember you telling me that once. I still don’t really completely know what it means, to be honest. Is he straight?”

“Well...not really. Is he attracted to girls? In theory, he could be. But it basically means he needs to form an emotional connection with someone before he can experience any sexual attraction toward them. In all the time I’ve known him, he’s never really experienced it with anyone.”

“Wow,” Cheryl said. “That’s intense.”

Cheryl and Toni glanced back over at Betty and Jughead, who were still deep in conversation at the table. Betty was getting more and more stoned, and subconsciously flirting more and more the higher she got. Cheryl and Toni watched Betty throw her head back in laughter and touch Jughead’s arm. 

“But I’ve definitely never seen him tolerate a girl who was clearly flirting with him for this long,” Toni said, quietly, tearing her eyes away from Betty and Jughead to look at Cheryl. “Usually he gets uncomfortable, since he isn’t attracted to them and doesn’t want to lead anyone on. That’s why he usually sticks with us at parties or doesn’t go at all. So this is…”

Cheryl narrowed her eyes. “...Interesting.” 

“Exactly.”

Back at the table, Jughead told a classic story about a fight his neighbors growing up got in one winter over parking spots during a snowstorm. With so many people in the apartment, it was growing hot, and Jughead had pulled the sleeve of his flannel up, which Betty admitted she found incredibly attractive. They both laughed at the end of Jughead’s story, and Betty rested her hand on Jughead’s arm. His eyes flickered for a few seconds to where her hand rested before looking up at her, head still thrown back in laughter.

She removed her hand and leaned back in her chair. “What a classic Boston story! I love hanging out with all of you who are actually from Boston. It gives me richer perspective on the city. I mean, it’s your city, after all. I’m just an obnoxious collegiate visitor.”

Jughead laughed a little at her rant, and Betty leaned forward to give him a playful shove. “Hey, play nice, I get a little babbley when I’m stoned, but who doesn’t?”

“Fair enough, fair enough,” Jughead said, finding himself grinning yet again. 

\---

By midnight, everyone had either left or was laying on the couches, too crossfaded to haul their asses out the door just yet.

Betty sat sprawled on the couch, ashing a bowl and waiting for Cheryl and Toni to finish saying goodbye to all the guests. She was unsure if Jughead was into her, but the half hour she’d spent hanging out with him one-on-one had intensified her once tiny crush. 

Her face burned remembering that they had discovered both their mutual love of writing and that they were taking the same intro to postcolonialism class this summer. She wanted to squeal, now knowing they had compatible interests: Jughead was an English major trying to get perspective for his writing with a postcolonial studies minor. The way he had talked about his writing - it had been the only time since she’d met him that she’d seen his face light up. Usually it was just all tired, neutral expressions but with kind eyes and a genuine smile when he did smile. She’d noticed the ever-present eye bags, though she had to admit they were part of his allure, along with the floppy, slightly messy dark hair and lopsided crown beanie. 

Betty sighed, tapping some more weed out of her grinder and into a bowl. She was further gone for Jughead than she thought she’d be. At least they had a class together now. Betty had recently committed to a political communications major herself after choosing between that and journalism. She was hoping to be able to make some sort of positive change in the world, whether at a nonprofit or on a political campaign, and she couldn’t completely part with writing after her high school love of journalism. Postcolonial studies seemed like a good way to broaden her perspective as she explored going into work advocating for the marginalized.

\---

Jughead had escaped with Fangs and Sweet Pea about fifteen minutes earlier, accepting a friendly hug from Betty before he left. He had spent most of the party talking to her, with Kevin and Josie sitting with them for awhile and sharing a couple bowls with Betty. Jughead had mostly just listened and laughed, finding Cheryl’s friends a lot funnier than he’d expected to. 

He and Betty had talked for awhile, realizing they were taking the same Intro to Postcolonial Studies class this summer. It turned out he had a lot in common with Betty, and was excited to hear he’d have a class with someone he actually liked being around. Between spending so much of his time working and studying his ass off to keep his scholarship and his admittedly terrible social skills to top it off, Jughead hadn’t made many friends who actually went to the college he and Toni had won scholarships to. Their other friends went to public college, so he usually ended up sitting alone in class, and just hanging out with his friends he’d known forever in his limited free time. But a new person who intrigued him? And a girl no less? He would definitely take it.

Finally back in his own Allston apartment he shared with Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs, Jughead now sat up in bed with his laptop, in for another night of working on his novel. It was still the best use of his seemingly never-ending insomnia he could think of. It had been like this ever since senior year of high school, when his mom’s drug addiction and dad’s alcoholism had finally caught up to them and they’d lost the house, leaving him to spend all of senior year hopping from neighborhood couch to neighborhood couch, trying to stay off the streets. Or just walking around the city all night because he couldn’t sleep. Sleep, something that eluded him. He could never sleep. 

\---

Back at Cheryl and Betty’s, all the guests finally left and the door shut definitively behind Cheryl and Toni, who came to join Betty on the couch, sitting on either side of her. Betty blushed a little, wondering if this was what she and Kevin secretly called a “Choni scheme.” They were clearly about to confront her about Jughead. They’re so much more predictable than they think are.

“Pass that bowl, bitch,” Cheryl said with a playful smirk and Betty returned the mischievous look, passing her the bong.

“Was the night all you wanted it to be and more?” Betty asked.

Cheryl exhaled and passed the bong to Toni. “Oh, yes. It was so fun and I think everyone got along great!” She waited for Toni to finish taking her hit. “How do you think it went, TT?” 

Toni raised her eyebrows, as if taking her cue from Cheryl, which did not go undetected by Betty. Before Toni could say anything, Betty interrupted. “Okay, out with it. I have a crush on Jughead. There we go, cut right to the chase.” She felt a blush tinting her cheeks.

Toni laughed. “Well...can’t say we didn’t notice.”

Betty covered her face with her hands. “Is that weird? Because he’s like, your oldest friend and I’m Cheryl’s best friend?”

Toni shook her head. “No, I’m seriously fine with it if it works out. But the thing is...I just want to let you know something about Jughead he’s not always forthcoming about, because unfortunately not a lot of people know what it means.”

Betty leaned forward, staring intently at Toni. The build-up was really triggering her anxiety, and she quickly took a hit to distract from the many possible things it could be that were popping into her head, one after the other.

“Jughead identifies as demi. So, like, he could like you! It’s possible! But he doesn’t experience sexual attraction until he forms an emotional connection with someone. He can’t really do casual sex, and since he’s never really let himself get close to anyone besides us, his oldest friends, he’s never experienced it with anyone,” Toni explained.

Betty nodded, taking in all the information and trying to process it. “Cool,” she said. “Thanks for telling me, Toni. I, of course, am completely supportive. I would never, like, jump on him or anything.” She blushed.

Cheryl snorted. “Oh, we know, you horny little virgin, you.”

Toni whipped her head around. “Wait, I didn’t know you were a virgin! How? You’re so hot!” She gave Betty’s body a pointed once-over, from her long legs all the way up to her shining blonde hair.

Betty burst out laughing. “Why, thank you, Toni! I have done pretty much everything but actual sex. You know, I’ve given and received head, been fingered, all of that. But I’ve never dated or trusted a guy long enough to get that far with them. I’ve dated like, three guys and none lasted long enough. I would love to have sex, just only with someone I really trust. So, I mean, I’m not demi, but I do have some idea of what Jughead experiences.”

Toni smiled. “Well, look. I’m tired as fuck so we’ll have to talk more about this later, but I will say that I never seen him stick around with a girl who was so clearly flirting with him for so long." She yawned as both Cheryl and Toni got to their feet to head to bed. "So you, Betty Cooper, may just be the first girl Jughead pursues. You never know.”


	2. May 20, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a talk with Toni, Jughead decides to reach out to Betty, and they meet up after Betty's shift. As they start to get to know each other better, each learns important truths about the other. *including Jughead being an adorable sober stoner buddy to Betty while sitting next to the Charles River*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read, gave kudos, commented, or shared my first chapter! I'm so excited that y'all like this concept as much as I do :) Thanks for coming along on the journey; I can't promise I'll update this fast every time, but here we go: Betty and Jughead begin to learn more about each other.

It was noon when Toni finally came home. Jughead was in the kitchen pouring himself his third cup of coffee for the day, laughing with Fangs, who was sitting at the counter eating cereal. 

“Look what the cat dragged in!” Fangs said. “And looking very sexed up,” he added.

Jughead rolled his eyes and shook his head. (Although he, too, had noticed Toni’s messy hair and the hickeys littering her neck.)

Toni smirked. “You know my girl likes it rough. And she loves morning sex.” She pounded fists with Fangs, while Jughead offered his obligatory disapproving look.

“Must we? It’s too early.”

“It’s high noon, my friend!” Toni said, reaching around Jughead to pour herself a cup of coffee. “You stay up writing all night? Get any sleep?”

“About two hours of sleep,” Jughead answered, leaning against the counter. “And about 15 pages of writing.”

“Ten hours of sleep,” Fangs offered.

Toni laughed. “Five orgasms,” she sipped her coffee. “Each.”

\---

Jughead managed to escape Toni and Fangs’ sexually graphic Sunday gossip session when his sister Jellybean called him from Toledo, where she lived with his grandparents. Toni found him a half hour later sitting on his bed reading the syllabus for his summer class. Today was his one day off this week, so he wanted to spend it being as productive as possible.

“What’s up, Topaz?” Jughead asked without looking up.

“We need to talk,” Toni said. “Sorry, that was ominous.”

“I was about to say, there’s no way you could be pregnant,” Jughead said, cracking a smile as he looked up at Toni. “Is everything okay though?” His eyes betrayed a hint of worry. Since Toni had gotten together with Cheryl, she’d been in pretty high spirits, and he hoped nothing had happened to change that.

“I hope so!” Toni said. She wrung her hands nervously and came to sit beside him on the bed. Jughead sat up so he was facing Toni. She looked into his eyes with the same look of worry before blurting out, “I noticed you talking to Betty for awhile last night.”

Jughead breathed a sigh of relief, glad it wasn’t anything serious. There had been a lot of demons in all his friends’ past, and he was hoping college would continue to be a time of relative peace for them all. He probed Toni’s worried eyes. “Yes…” he said hesitantly. “She comes by the coffee shop all the time, but I’d never talked to her for so long. Turns out we have a lot in common.”

Toni nodded encouragingly. “Really? That’s awesome. Betty is Cheryl’s ride or die, so I’m glad you guys are getting along.”

Jughead was put off by her sudden shift to blinding positivity. “Yeah...we actually have this class together,” he added, pointing at the syllabus in his lap. Toni continued to nod and smile, and Jughead facepalmed. “Okay, seriously, Toni, what is up? You are acting uncharacteristically concerned and positive and weird.”

“Look, it’s just...it looked like Betty was flirting with you a little there, didn’t it? And you didn’t really seem to mind? And, well, just knowing your...dating history, or lack thereof, I just wanted to check in,” she sounded a little out of breath now. “And also remind you I am here to talk about everything and anything.”

Jughead nodded. “Yeah, I guess she was flirting, wasn’t she?” He scratched the back of his head and backed himself up on the bed until he was leaning on his headboard. “And it really didn’t bother me as much as it usually does. Which I’m sure you’ve already concluded, considering your usual diligence with observing my interactions with women.”

Toni laughed. “I’m your wingwoman for life, even though you’ve had no use for me up until now.” She paused. “Potentially?”

Jughead blushed and looked down at the syllabus in his lap. “Look, I can’t promise anything. I don’t know if what I’m feeling is sexual attraction or just like, excitement at finding a new friend with a shared interest.”

“That makes total sense,” Toni said. “But I guess it’s good that you have a class together. Because maybe you can find out?”

“Yeah,” Jughead gulped. “It’s just kind of scary. I don’t want to lead her on, you know, in case I really am just not attracted to her in the end.” He had been wrestling with this all night, thinking of the moment when her hand had rested on his arm. Sure, she’d been stoned, but he couldn’t shake the image of the sparkle in her eye, like she saw something in him he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen in anyone. But it had intrigued him, had made him want to spend more time with her, find out if he could make her eyes sparkle like that again.

Toni tapped Jughead’s arm. “Earth to Jug?” 

“Sorry, what?”

“I said, ‘you should ask her to hang out.’ Even just as friends. If you guys are gonna have a class together!”

Jughead looked incredulous. “Won’t that seem like a date? Seems like the definition of ‘leading her on.’”

Toni shook her head. “Give Betty some credit. She wouldn’t hold your truth against you. She’s a good person. Now, I need to get ready for my shift, but I think you should explore this Betty thing.” She paused for a moment, scanning the walls of his room, covered in a couple Polaroid shots of their friends growing up, some movie posters, and a wall calendar scrawled with Jughead’s slanted, cramped handwriting, detailing his busy work and school schedule. She finally looked at Jughead, who was staring into space, worrying about all the possibilities. His default state.

“There’s something there, you think?” Toni whispered. 

Jughead shrugged, blinking his way out of spacing out to fix Toni with an intense gaze. “She intrigues me.”

“Give her a call,” Toni said, grabbing Jughead’s phone off his desk and programming Betty’s number in before tossing it to him. She blew him a kiss and left to get ready for her shift, leaving Jughead to continue leaning against his headboard, staring at his phone and overthinking everything.

\---

Betty was hopping off the bus in Harvard Square when she got a call from a number she didn’t recognize. Knowing she had a couple fall internship applications out in the universe, she pulled over on the sidewalk to take the call, squaring her shoulders before answering confidently, “This is Betty Cooper.”

Jughead cleared his throat on the other end. “Hey, Betty. It’s Jughead.” He paused for a second. “Toni gave me your number, hope that’s not weird.”

Betty smiled the second she heard his voice, her stomach clenching with nervous excitement. “Not weird at all,” she said, composing herself. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Um...I enjoyed talking with you last night. And I thought...since we have a class together and our friends are so close...maybe you’d want to hang out again?”

Betty paced back and forth on the sidewalk, trying to calm her mind, which was going a mile a minute. She didn’t want to freak him out by sounding too eager or like she assumed it was a date, remembering Toni’s words about his demisexuality the night before. “I would love to,” she said, trying to maintain an even voice. “When are you free?”

“Well…” he coughed. “I know it’s super last minute, but today actually is my only day off this week. Are you free later?”

Betty frowned a bit. “I’m actually on my way to work a shift now. But if you’re down to meet me at 8 PM, that’s when I get off. In Harvard Square. Maybe we could meet for a drink at Charlie’s? The beer garden is open.” It came out in a rush, and she got afraid she’d said too much, had been too hasty and desperate-sounding.

“Out of all the bars to not drink in, Charlie’s is definitely one of my favorites,” Jughead said. Betty laughed. “Sounds like a plan. 8 PM?”

“Well, probably more like 8:10 by the time I actually get there,” Betty said. “Sorry, I’m an overthinker.”

“No worries, I’m totally the same way. See you later, Betty.”

Betty closed her eyes and fought the urge to squeal as the call ended. She turned and walked toward Urban Outfitters to start her shift with a bounce in her step. He called me, she thought. That had to mean something! It had to at least mean he thought she was an interesting enough person to spend time with. She sighed. How was she going to spend an entire six-hour shift trying not to get her hopes up about her evening with Jughead when all she could think about was how much she would love for him to rip her clothes off and throw her on a bed? 

\---

Jughead had gotten to Charlie’s early, having left himself extra time just in case the 66 bus decided to be his worst enemy once again. With the beginnings of warm weather finally peeking through on this Sunday evening after a long Boston winter, everyone was trying to soak up the nice weather. In other words, the beer garden was packed. Jughead was happy he’d been able to snag a two-seater high-top table in the corner. He hated standing at these types of places when he wasn’t even drinking.

He tapped his finger against the water glass he’d gotten from the waiter, his eyes fixed on the entrance, waiting to see a woman with a blonde ponytail and green eyes approaching. It was now 8:09, and he remembered Betty joking on the phone that it would take her until 8:10 to get to him. Like clockwork, he finally spotted Betty handing her ID to the bouncer. She found him almost immediately and a big grin spread across her face as she walked up to him. Jughead was nervous. Although he didn’t really know what it was like to definitely be “into” someone else, Jughead did know exactly what it looked like when a girl was into him, and Betty was definitely into him.

“Hey, you,” Betty said, sliding into the chair opposite him. “Long time no see.”

Jughead grinned, playing along immediately. “Seems like just yesterday we were conversing about the ills of gentrification and the collapse of the social safety net.”

“While we’re on the topic, I have quite a few complaints about labor rights. And specifically, my own.” She tightened her ponytail and looked around for the waiter.

“Long day at work?”

“You have no idea. Now that it’s getting warm again, the tourists are flocking. And they are total assholes. Like, no, Urban Outfitters does not have a public bathroom.” 

Jughead laughed. “Believe me, having to enforce that buying-something-to-pee rule at the coffee shop is not pretty either,” he said. “It feels so counterintuitive to suggest to someone with a full bladder that they should first buy a coffee.”

Betty burst out laughing. “Oh my God, Jughead. You have the best observational comedy. I love it.” She blushed, looking down into her lap. You’re being too obvious, bitch. This was the complete opposite of what she had hoped to sound like tonight, but, God, she was just so damn attracted to him. He talked so pretty, on top of everything else.

Jughead didn’t seem perturbed, however. “Honestly, as a writer, I think that’s the best compliment I could ever get when it comes to comedy.”

“Oh, yeah, your stories totally have that brooding wit to them, don’t they?” Betty asked, finally flagging down a waiter. 

Jughead waited for Betty to order herself a gin and tonic before saying anything else.

“What were we talking about?” Betty asked.

Jughead grinned. “I believe we were on the subject of my broody wit. And you’re right, that kind of...nails my writing style on the head.”

Betty smirked. “You’re such an English major.”

The waiter came back with Betty’s drink, and she paid the bill immediately. “I’m not that big of a drinker,” she explained after deciding not to start a tab.

“Works for me,” Jughead said, gesturing toward his water. “Obviously, neither am I.”

“Oh yes, as we established last night. So, what’s your novel about?”

Jughead shook his head. “Oh, no, you’re not getting that out of me yet.”

Betty sipped her drink. “Yet? I’ll take it. I’m up for the challenge of earning it.” She didn’t smile, but met his eyes, trying to silently convey something about more than just the novel. Jughead was a little taken aback. Betty Cooper was truly a mystery.

The half hour passed quickly, then, as they dived into talking about their classes. They had many similar interests and got into a lively talk about everything from the feminist theory class they had both taken last semester (same professor, different sections) to their thoughts on the way writing workshops were run at their college to the injustice of the near-lack of single-stall bathrooms for commuter students who had to take a shit in the middle of a long day on campus. By the time Betty finished her drink, she almost wished she’d started a tab so she could keep talking to him.

“Want to walk down to the river?” Jughead asked as he noticed Betty taking her final sips of her drink.

Betty smiled at the thought of getting out of crowded Harvard Square and standing instead on the shore of the Charles. On nights like this, when it had cooled down to the 70s or 60s, she often walked home from Harvard Square instead of waiting for the bus. The walk across the bridge was always her favorite part. She loved looking out at the Charles, at the boats. She always tried to identify the buildings on the skyline, ones she was familiar with, ones she’d been inside. Learning the city was one of her favorite parts about going to school in Boston. Not to mention that the Charles River was one of Cheryl and Betty’s favorite post-work smoke spots ever since they both started working in Harvard Square. They loved to sit and listen to the water lapping at the gravelly shore, complaining about all the shitty customers at Urban or the Europeans who had forgotten to tip Cheryl at her serving job.

“That sounds perfect,” Betty said, now, to Jughead. “It’s a little hot in here with all the energy.” She gestured around at the crowded, loud beer garden. Jughead gestured for her to lead the way out.

They continued their conversation, easy and flowing, as they left the square and headed toward the river. Finally, they reached the Cambridgeside shores of the Charles River. Betty stopped them at she and Cheryl’s favorite bench. “Want to sit?”

Jughead answered by sitting and patting the seat beside him. Betty sat and stared out at the dark river, feeling very content to be in one of her favorite places with this new, intriguing person. She looked at him. “It’s such a nice night,” she said quietly.

“Finally,” he said, stretching his legs out and putting his hands behind his head. “It felt like such an unbearably long winter.”

“Absolutely,” Betty said, tapping her feet against the ground. She hadn’t smoked since her wake-and-bake sesh and she was feeling restless. “Hey, Jug, would you mind if I smoke?” she asked. 

He noticed the nickname immediately. “Not at all,” he said, amused. He watched her pull the same bong from the night before out of a soft case in her tote bag, along with a bottle of water, a grinder, a medicine vial of weed, and a lighter. She poured water into the bong. “Hold this for me real quick?” she asked, holding the bong out to him, searching his eyes for signs of discomfort.

He nodded, amusement in his eyes. “Sure. However I can help this impressive maneuver you’ve got going.” 

Jughead watched her quickly scoop a couple nugs out of her medicine vial and grind them up, before sliding the grinder open and pinching weed into the bowl as he held it out for her. She closed the grinder and put everything but the lighter and bong away before taking it back from him. “You’re an amazing smoke buddy, even without being a stoner,” she said after taking her first hit.

“Happy to hear it,” he said.

She took a couple hits and allowed the silence to stretch between them. She liked to test that with new people in her life, if it felt comfortable to just BE around each other. So far, so good.

He waited for her to take a few hits before speaking again. He noticed she was moving a little less, doing less of the nervous ticks he’d already noted (dangling and swinging her legs back and forth, eyes darting around at the people around them in the beer garden, digging her nails into her palms occasionally. He’d noticed that last one when she’d been in the coffee shop before.) “You smoke a lot, huh?” he asked. “Not that it’s bad. Most of my friends smoke occasionally, but none of them really keep it around the house. They’re more, smoke if someone passes it to them type people.”

Betty nodded. “I know the type,” she said in a joking voice, laughing at her own statement. “Sorry, I’m definitely stoney now.”

Jughead laughed. “I can tell. But my point is, I’ve just never been around people who smoke as much as you and your friends do. Again, not that it’s bad. But it did surprise me a little, based on the way you are when I see you at work. I guess you don’t fit the mold for a stereotypical stoner.”

Betty laughed. “That’s me, defying stereotypes every day. You’re not the first to be surprised I smoke as much as I do. The truth is, I smoke for my anxiety. It allows me to be...me. I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s like, I have this guard up all the time, because I’m so afraid for people to see the real me. Or that I’ll mess up or say something wrong or somehow make myself the center of attention in a way that is bad.” 

She paused and looked at him questioningly. “Sorry, is this too much? Am I babbling too much?” 

Jughead shook his head. “Not at all. This is fascinating.” He smiled at her widened eyes. She was so nervous. “Seriously, keep going.”

She looked relieved and took another hit before continuing. “So where was I? Right, weed allows me to calm down all the anxious thoughts and just be me. It makes it easier to be social and open up to my friends and feel comfortable. It also has calmed me down from a fair few anxiety attacks in my day,” she added a joking tone at the end to soften the blow. “I get a lot of those fun thangs.”

Jughead nodded. “Sorry to hear that.”

She smiled. “That’s sweet. But it’s okay, I’ve got my medication and I’ve got my weed. And my friends. Cheryl is the only reason I even smoke. She’s been doing the same thing for even longer, and she kind of introduced me to the concept of medical marijuana when we became friends freshman year. In New Jersey where I’m from, for the longest time you could only get medical marijuana if you were, like, dying. So I’d never even considered that I could use it for something that felt as trivial as anxiety.”

She took a moment to breathe. “Hey, anxiety is not trivial,” Jughead said softly, earning an appreciative smile from Betty. “I definitely have social anxiety,” Jughead admitted. “I know it’s rather obvious.”

“Oh, yes, but only because I can relate,” Betty said.

“So, you and Cheryl were roommates freshman year?”

“Yep, and we clicked within the first couple months. Some people just get lucky that way, I guess. Cheryl’s from Riverdale in New York, so we bonded over the close proximity. New Jersey and New York share a lot of cultural similarities. Like, talking as fast as we do, if you’ve noticed. And our mental health really bonded us,” she said. “Sorry, is this a lot of really intense shit to be talking about when we’re just becoming friends?”

“No, not at all,” Jughead said, laughing. “I personally know no other way to be. Me, Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs, we’ve all been through a lot of shit growing up. And Toni and I have really bonded over some serious identity shit, so I get that.” He paused for a bit, not wanting to get too into the details with Betty quite yet. Jughead looked out at the lights on the buildings across the river. He finally spoke again, quietly, “It’s nice to know Toni is dating someone who takes her friendships so seriously.” 

Betty looked down at her feet, trying not to grin too big. “That’s exactly how I feel, knowing more about how close you and Toni are,” she said. “Good friends make good partners.” She tried not to blush at any possible implication that the two of them would be partners any time soon, even if it’s what immediately came to her mind.

“Agreed,” Jughead said. “I think Cheryl and Toni are really good together.”

“Me too,” Betty said as she ashed her bowl in the grass and poured the bong out. She packed the bong away in its case and faced Jughead.

“So, headed back to Allston?” Betty asked, getting up from the bench.

“Yes! Let me walk you home,” Jughead offered, knowing how hard it can unfortunately be to walk home at night as a woman. He always liked to walk with Toni when he could, especially when she was just not in the mood to deal with the bullshit.

“That would be great,” Betty said, a look of surprise flashing across her face.

As they turned to walk toward the bridge, Jughead worried a little bit internally. Was that look of surprise on Betty’s face because she now thought Jughead was into her? Was he into her? He was certainly enjoying himself, but he didn’t feel any different than he did when he talked to any of his good friends. Comfortable and happy, sure, but more? He still wasn’t sure he felt it yet. Was offering to walk her home date code for him wanting to kiss her?

With Jughead distracted, their walk across the bridge turned silent. Betty looked out at the water, trying not to read anything into it. Silence can be nice, peaceful, she reminded herself.

As they got off the bridge and started walking through lower Allston in the direction of both their apartments, Jughead couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to mess everything up. He stopped suddenly at a street corner and Betty kept walking for a few seconds before noticing and turning around, shooting him a questioning look.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“I’m so sorry but I can’t kiss you tonight,” Jughead blurted out.

Betty laughed shakily. “What?”

“I’m...I’m demisexual. No one ever knows what it means, but I can’t really feel sexual attraction until I’m emotionally bonded to someone. I sort of realized I was on the asexual spectrum around the same time Toni realized she was bi. It’s...why we’re so close.” He let out a breath of air, meeting Betty’s eyes for the first time since his initial outburst.

Betty looked down at her feet sheepishly. “Toni told me last night, actually. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to keep it a secret or what, so I didn’t say anything. I totally get it, Jug. You don’t have to apologize to me for anything. We’re friends.” Internally, she screamed at having to use that label, wanting so badly to grab his face and kiss him. But she would be patient, wanted to be patient, never wanted to do anything to hurt this guy she was falling harder and harder for with every interaction. Honestly, it was embarrassing.

Jughead breathed a sigh of relief. “Definitely not a secret, she just didn’t tell me you knew. Probably wanted me to tell you in my own time anyway.” He smiled at the quiet wisdom of his closest friend.

“She knows what she’s doing,” Betty said, echoing Jughead’s thoughts.

They both stood on the corner, about ten minutes from Betty’s apartment, for a few seconds, each one quietly processing what had just happened.

“Shall we head back toward my apartment?” Betty finally asked. “I promise I do not expect you to kiss me when we get there,” she tried, hoping her light tone would break the tension.

Thankfully, Jughead let out a nervous laugh and started walking alongside her. “Thanks for being so open-minded. I know it’s kind of a more uncommon sexual identity, so I get nervous opening up about it to people.”

“I totally get that,” Betty said, swinging her arms. “I know it’s not totally the same, but mental illness can be really hard to open up about with people you don’t know well. Some people still stigmatize it so hard. I’ve had people say some really fucked up shit to my face about the meds I take.”

With Betty’s high rambling kicking them off, Betty and Jughead eased out of any residual tension and into easy conversation. Too soon for Betty and faster than Jughead noticed, they arrived at Betty’s apartment. They stopped to stand before her doorway as she fished her keys out of her tote. “I had so much fun, Jughead. Thanks for asking me to meet up.”

“I enjoyed myself too,” Jughead said. “Excited to have postcolonial studies together this summer.”

Their class started in mid-June, so they had a few weeks before encountering each other would be a scheduled activity. “It’s gonna be the best,” Betty said. 

They stood staring at each other awkwardly for a moment, neither sure how to end the encounter. There were no rules for how to do whatever it was they were doing. Betty took the leap, stretching her arms out for a hug. Jughead smiled, relieved. Even though he knew Betty had surely gotten the message about any possibility of them kissing, it was still comforting to see that understanding in action. They hugged briefly, and both smiled when they pulled back.

“Hopefully I’ll see you around the neighborhood before our first class,” Betty said. “Good luck with your busy week.”

“Good luck with the tourists,” Jughead offered. Betty unlocked her door, turning to give him a final wave before disappearing inside.

Jughead turned to walk home, a genuine smile on his face. This was good, right? It had to be good. Even if they just turned out friends, he couldn’t imagine something involving Betty Cooper being anything but good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop a comment if you liked it! Would love to hear from you all. Love and hugs, Maria  
> Follow me on Tumblr at witty-tv or on my Riverdale podcast Tumblr, bodysuitsforbughead


	3. May 20 - 24, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Jughead confide in their friends about their night hanging out alone together and Betty tries to hold herself back from flirting too hard when the two run into each other in the neighborhood. *highlights include lots of Betty pining, an adorable Choni snuggling on the couch, some lady masturbation, and an introduction to Kevin’s iconic bong with an appropriately ridiculous name*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, y'all, life got busy! But here's Chapter 3. Thanks to everyone who's shared, commented, and kudos'd! It means a lot and I'm excited to be on this fun journey with y'all. Got lots of fun stuff planned. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think! xoxo Maria

As the door clicked shut behind her, Betty rested her head on the door dramatically for the benefit of Kevin and Cheryl, who were sitting at the table smoking.

“Ooh, someone’s swooning!” Cheryl cried, whooping.

“Come, sit,” Kevin patted the chair beside him. “Don’t just stand there quivering, tell us everything.”

Betty rolled her eyes, dropping her bag to the floor and snatching the bong out of Kevin’s hands before defiantly taking a huge hit. He opened his mouth in mock surprise. “Damn, girl!” he yelled as she coughed and pounded back the water from Kevin’s glass.

“I’ll show you quivering,” Betty said breathlessly, having made her point. She stumbled to the kitchen with the glass in hand. “Also, I’ll get you more water.”

Kevin and Cheryl hysterically laughed from the living room, tears rolling down their cheeks at Betty’s trademark politeness, even after smoking her throat raw. Betty finally came back to the table, balancing two water glasses. She downed her own water practically in one gulp.

“Hmm, thirsty over there, Betty?” Cheryl asked, causing Kevin and Cheryl to burst into another fit of giggles.

“Jesus Christ, how stoned are you two?”

“Moose baked another batch of weed cookies, okay, so this is edibles PLUS multiple bowls from Old Rusty here,” Kevin said, pointing to the bong, which was his signature elephant piece he had named one hazy sophomore year night in the dead of winter.

“I still hate that name,” Betty said, taking another, smaller hit.

“Stop stalling, bitch, and spill,” Cheryl said. “I will snap myself into supportive friend mode, for real.” Kevin nodded and they both made a show of slapping themselves lightly on the face and focusing their eyes on Betty.

Betty rolled her eyes. “Listen, he’s demisexual, guys, okay? So there’s nothing to spill, and he made it very clear he’s not ready to do anything yet. Or more accurately, doesn’t know if he’ll want to do anything.”

Kevin and Cheryl nodded.

“So he told you he was demi outright? Or did he know Toni told you?” Cheryl asked.

Betty smirked. “Your dear girlfriend did not tell him, but I think it was for the best. We had a nice conversation about it. We’re just friends, and I like him a lot.”

Cheryl frowned. “You’re totally falling for him, aren’t you?” she asked, point blank.

Betty sighed and threw her head into her hands. Cheryl always knew. “I totally am!” Betty said, sitting back up and running her fingers through her hair. “I obviously want to be completely respectful of the fact that he just can’t know if he’s into me like that without knowing me better, but it’s hard! Because I’m just already so attracted to him, and I’m trying so hard not to come on too strong.”

Cheryl and Kevin tried their absolute hardest not to laugh, both their lips sealed tightly. Betty shook her head. “Oh, my God, you two are going to burst. Go ahead, laugh.”

They shook their heads, attempting to remain respectful until Betty was finished venting, and so Betty continued. “And on top of all that, he doesn’t smoke! Which is fine, I’m not judging, but it just made me realize how much smoking is built into like, our group’s social life. We’re all just always hitting a joint or ripping a piece. God, we must look like fiends.”

Kevin looked up from where he was grinding another nug. “Hey, we are all dealing with a lot of mental health shit, okay? We’re just tryna survive the best way we can.”

“Hear, hear!” cried Cheryl, holding Old Rusty in the air.

Betty laughed. “Well, exactly, proving my point. It’s just, I didn’t realize how much the physical act of smoking can calm me sometimes. Just having something to do with my hand besides, you know…” She opened her palms to reveal her constantly-healing scars from the many times she had dug her long nails into the skin to relieve anxiety in a high-pressure moment. An especially terrible customer screaming at her at work a few days ago had produced the most recent indentations.

Kevin and Cheryl both nodded, and Cheryl grabbed Betty’s arm. “I just want to make sure he isn’t weirded out by me smoking around him, because it just puts me at ease. My daily dose of Lexapro plus a bowl of weed really does the trick of preventing me from doing this.” Betty touched her hands again. “Plus, I can’t really imagine him actually liking the ‘me’ he gets to know without it. How weird is that? Is it sad?” Betty leaned onto Cheryl’s shoulder in quiet contemplation.

“We all spend so much time being ourselves as we are high, I just feel like it’s the most genuine version of me now,” Betty added, after a silence.

Cheryl tightened her grip on Betty’s arm. “Well, we’re right here with you. Listen, we love you how you are. And I get exactly what you mean. Coming home to smoke after work when it’s finally time to relax and destress for the day has been my routine since the beginning of college. I couldn’t imagine Toni not knowing that side of me. And Jughead has already met that side of you multiple times, and still wanted to hang with you again. I mean, think about it, we’ve totally been to the coffee shop stoned while he was working plenty of times.”

Betty hadn’t even thought of that, which was very true. He hadn’t necessarily realized she was stoned, but Jughead had certainly witnessed her stoned self many times. She and Cheryl loved a good coffee and muffin date after a wake-and-bake sesh.

Kevin nodded along supportively to Cheryl’s speech. “Plus, you’re a total babe,” he added. “Just give it time. One day he’s gonna look up and realize you’re the hottest thing that’s ever walked the streets of Allston.” Cheryl shot him a look. “Besides Cheryl in her devil costume on Halloween 2017.”

“Thank you!” Cheryl said. “No offense, B.”

Betty laughed and took a hit out of Old Rusty. “Don’t apologize. You’re right, I saw that ensemble.”

Cheryl patted Betty’s head and got out of her seat. “Guys, let’s go into my room. It’s getting late.”

It was Cheryl, Betty, and Kevin’s silent code for a sleepover. Cheryl had always insisted on having a queen bed, the spoiled heiress of maple syrup fortune that she was, so it had become tradition for the three of them to curl up on Cheryl’s bed together when one of them was going through something. For three people who had fragile, rocky relationships with their families, moments like these were their safe place, their feeling of home. They always had each other’s backs.

“Thanks for listening, guys,” Betty said as she changed into her pajamas. Kevin and Cheryl were both already sitting on the bed. “I think this whole Jughead thing is going to be more complicated than my past relationships, but I’ve never liked anyone this much before. It’s got to be worth it, right?”

Cheryl leaned back on the pillows, smiling at the thought of her girlfriend, likely sleeping herself only a few blocks away in her own Allston apartment. “It’s definitely worth it, I can tell you that much from experience.”

Betty smiled, climbing into bed, and the three friends settled themselves so that Betty was sandwiched between Kevin and Cheryl.

“Everything is going to be okay, Betty,” Cheryl said. “Just be patient. I have a good feeling.”

“Me too,” Kevin said quietly. “I love you beauties.”

“Forever and always,” Cheryl added.

“Good night,” Betty said, listening to her friends’ breathing slow as they fell into sleep, and allowing a smile to cover her face as she drifted off herself, feeling safe and hopeful.

\---

A few blocks away and just a few hours later at 7 AM, Jughead was up and brewing a pot of coffee for he and Fangs. There were essentially two shifts in their four-person apartment. While Sweet Pea and Toni both tended bar, Fangs and Jug both worked as baristas, with Fangs working at a Starbucks in downtown Boston. As Jughead poured himself his first cup for the day, he heard one of the bedroom doors open and close.

“I’ve got your coffee right here, Fangs,” he said, pouring another cup without even looking up to see who it was.

“Thanks, sweetie honey baby,” Toni responded in her best Fangs impression, sitting on one of their bar stools at the kitchen counter.

Jughead whipped his head around. “Toni? What are you doing up this early? Didn’t you get home like, three hours ago?”

Toni didn’t have time to answer before Fangs came bounding out of his room, holding his Starbucks apron on his arm. “Good morning, friends,” he said, accepting his coffee from Jughead and sitting at the counter. “What are you doing up, T?”

“Sweets and I decided to stay up all night so we could grill Jughead about his hang with Betty,” Toni said. “But apparently Sweet Pea did not succeed, or hear the back-up alarm I set for him. Now, Jughead, can I please have some damn coffee?”

Jughead narrowed his eyes. “Considering you changed your entire sleep schedule around to ‘grill’ me…”

Toni jumped down from her stool and grabbed her own coffee. “Seriously, Jug, how was it?” she asked softly after a sip.

“We’re just friends!” Jughead quickly blurted, exasperated. “I told her I was demi, which apparently she already knew?” He shot a pointed look at Toni, who looked guilty.

“I wanted you to tell her yourself!” Toni insisted. “It worked out, didn’t it? She understood?”

Jughead sighed in defeat. “Yes, she was completely understanding and it was a really good evening. Felt like I was hanging out with one of you or something. Well, minus the smoking.”

Toni laughed. “Yeah, Cheryl and Betty are two of the biggest stoners I’ve ever met. You better get used to that. Why do you think I always come back from their place blasted?”

Fangs laughed. “Hey, they always have good weed.” He paused. “Do you think Betty likes you, Jug?”

Jughead sighed. “I don’t want to think about it because it stresses me out and makes me feel guilt. She knows I can’t promise anything, especially until after I get to know her better. Even last night I tried to like, see if I felt anything more for her than I do for Toni after a good hang, and I just don’t think I’m there. All I know is we have a lot in common and I really like spending time with her.”

A third door opened at the end of Jughead’s speech, and a very sleepy Sweet Pea emerged from his room.

“Someone fell asleep, huh?” Toni asked, laughing.

Sweet Pea ran his hands through his dark hair and barked, “Coffee. Jones, how did it go?”

“You literally just missed my entire answer to that question,” Jughead said. “TLDR: we’re still just friends, but I really like spending time with her and she knows I’m demi and is cool with it.”

Sweet Pea said, “But she’s such a babe. I swear, Jug, one of these days you’re going to look up and realize you want to kiss her.”

The entire room fell silent, with everyone turning their attention to Jughead, trying to gauge his reaction.

Jughead responded quietly. “Maybe. It would be great if I finally wanted to be sexual with someone I like so much. But you all know I’ve kissed a few girls before, and I’ve never felt what I was supposed to feel. It felt...I don’t know...mechanical?...every time I’ve kissed someone. Including that time Fangs made me kiss him to see if I was gay.” He shot Fangs an angry look and Fangs laughed.

“We had to at least try. I’m not attracted to you, either, as it turns out,” Fangs said, and everyone laughed.

“The only reason we ask is because you rarely even hang out with anyone besides us, and I mean...since we all grew up together, it’s a bigger deal when you hang out with someone who isn’t us,” Sweet Pea said cautiously. “If that makes sense.”

Jughead smiled. “Thanks for checking in on me, guys, seriously, I appreciate it. But I don’t have any more answers for you yet. It surprises me how much I’m intrigued by Betty, and that’s why I want to pursue this friendship.” He gave Toni a look, referencing their conversation on this topic yesterday morning. “I need to at least try being friends with her, or I’ll never know if it could become something more.”

They all nodded. “Well, I’m happy for you for trying,” Fangs said, rising to his feet and clapping Jughead on the back as he went to the sink to rinse his cup. “But I need to leave for work.”

Jughead rinsed his own cup and followed Fangs toward the front door. “I’ll leave with you. Toni and Sweet Pea, please go back to bed, for the love of God.”

The two laughed. “Well now that our 7 AM ‘Harass Jughead About His Friend Date’ appointment is over, there’s no reason to be awake,” Toni said. “Have a good day at work, you two!” she called after Fangs and Jughead as the apartment door closed behind them.

\---

Betty woke up alone in Cheryl’s bed around 11 AM. She sat up and smelled coffee and syrup aromas wafting from the kitchen and smiled before flopping back down on the bed and grabbing her phone from Cheryl’s nightstand.

She scrolled lazily through Instagram, passing a throwback photo Sweet Pea had posted last night of high school-age Jughead, Fangs, and Toni sitting on a blanket next to Jamaica Pond. They all looked so young and were laughing hysterically. Jughead had his head thrown back in laughter and Betty realized she had never seen him look so happy and carefree in the little time she’d known him. He looked good that way, his eyes crinkling at the edges, and his grin lighting up his face. She quickly “liked” and screenshotted the photo. Would it be overboard to comment too? She decided to throw caution to the winds and posted, “You all look so young! Cuties.” She was sure Cheryl would be happy to see visible proof that she and Toni’s friends were getting along.

Betty finally rose from the bed, joining Cheryl and Kevin at the kitchen table where they were sitting drinking coffee and sharing a wake-and-bake bowl.

“Sorry, B, the pancakes are all gone,” Cheryl said, passing her Old Rusty in apology.

Betty took a hit. “Coffee and weed is my favorite breakfast, anyway.” She got up to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“So what’s on the agenda for today? Gonna stop by a certain coffee shop?” Cheryl asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Betty laughed and shook her head. “I can’t look that desperate. Though I’m not on the schedule until 4 PM, so I was hoping to get some reading done today before work...”

“It’s the summer and you’re still reading diligently. Never change, Betty,” Kevin said, blowing out smoke.

“Summer is the only time during college you get to read for yourself!” Betty cried defensively. “Of course I’m going to diligently read as much as I can!”

“This is exactly what Jughead sounds like when I hang out at Toni’s apartment,” Cheryl said, rolling her eyes. “I swear, y’all are made for each other.”

\---

Betty didn’t see Jughead again until that Thursday, when she stopped by CVS in the evening on her day off to stock up on hygiene products and snacks for her trip to see her sister the following day. She was kneeling in the shampoo aisle, frowning because they didn’t have her usual brand in stock and trying to find an alternative when she heard her name in a familiar voice. She couldn’t help it, a smile tugged at her lips as she looked up from the display to see Jughead dressed in his customary S t-shirt with a flannel tied around his waist, holding a 2-in-1 Head and Shoulders shampoo and conditioner bottle in his hand.

“Thought I spotted that ponytail,” Jughead said.

“Guilty as charged,” Betty said, laughing and getting to her feet. “Good to see you! How are you?”

“Good! I just closed up at the coffee shop, so in for another night of writing and, let’s be real, caving and ordering Teriyaki House at some point.”

Betty placed her hand dramatically on her chest. “Oh, my god, you GET me!” she gasped. “I order Teriyaki House a disgusting amount. I could probably live off their scallion pancakes for the rest of my goddamn LIFE!” she gushed.

Jughead burst out laughing. “We are kindred spirits, Betty Cooper. I ALWAYS order the scallion pancakes.”

Betty laughed too. “We’ll have to order in scallion pancakes sometime.”

“Scallion pancakes, nothing else?” Jughead teased.

“You act like I haven’t done that before,” Betty teased back, nudging his arm playfully. “We all have our low moments.”

“Too true. You do not want to see the timestamps on my Domino’s orders.”

Betty laughed. “Then I guess we’re even.” She smiled down at the Head and Shoulders in his hand. “So...2 in 1? Really? You think that adequately nourishes your hair?”

Jughead snorted. “I’m sorry, did you just say the word NOURISH in reference to my HAIR?”

Betty crossed her arms across her chest. “Hey, now, taking care of your hair is important when you have hair that looks as good as yours.” Her tone was completely serious, but she blushed when she realized she’d shown her hand when it came to her clear attraction to his hair.

He smirked. “I’ll keep that in mind next time.” He pulled a coupon out of his pocket, cut cleanly from the receipt. “But today, I’m cashing in on my CVS coupon.”

“Oh, my God, I ALWAYS forget to use my coupons! Respect for your coupon game, honestly,” she tried to keep her cool after the super-obvious hair compliment had slipped out.

“I’m not gonna stand there waiting for the receipt to come out of the machine for seventeen hours and then not use any of the coupons,” Jughead insisted.

Betty laughed. “True! Those fucking receipts are probably longer than your novel.” She picked her shopping basket up from the ground and placed in it the shampoo she had most recently been looking at. “You headed out?” she asked to Jughead.

“Why, yes,” he said, gesturing for her to lead the way to the self-checkout.

Betty couldn’t contain herself as she watched Jughead get fed up with the self-checkout machine, laughing a little as she waited with him for an attendant to bail him out when the machine locked him out.

He shook his head. “Automation is replacing workers with machines. Just a way to reduce the amount of people CVS has to hire to work in their stores.”

“Kind of counterintuitive, since they need people to attend to the machines anyway!” Betty said, alluding to their current predicament. “And do they even pay the workers here a living wage?”

“Not sure. I don’t think CVS is unionized?” Jughead said, lowering his voice again as a worker finally bounded over to help them.

As they walked out of CVS with plastic bags in hand, Betty said. “I’m glad to hear you’re pro-union. My sister would be fucked right now without the union at the hotel she works at. She’s a single mom with twins.”

Jughead nodded solemnly. “Lots of people in my neighborhood growing up were union construction workers, and it was the only reason a lot of families I knew could stay afloat. My dad for awhile, too. Unfortunately, my dad lost his job anyway because…” he paused. Not only was he unsure if he wanted to delve into this with Betty yet, but he certainly didn’t want to do it on the street when he did tell her. Besides, they were coming up to the intersection where they would each walk in a different direction toward their respective apartments.

Betty gave Jughead an encouraging look when he paused. “It’s okay,” Betty said. “I know how hard it can be to open up about family stuff.” She looked down at her shoes and curled her fingers into her hands, feeling weird for opening up so quickly to him about Polly. Good thing the CVS bags prevented her from digging her nails in at the moment.

Jughead noticed she was fidgeting with her bags more than she had been before. “A story for another day, I promise,” he said softly.

Betty smiled. “Whenever you’re ready. I’ll never judge,” she said.

“I know,” Jughead said, with a genuine smile that reached his eyes. “It was awesome sort of running errands with you?”

“You know, normal friend stuff!” Betty joked back.

“Well, have a good night, Betty,” Jughead said, waving and turning to walk in the direction of his apartment.

“Night, Jughead,” Betty called back, finally letting out the incredibly excited look she had been containing for the past twenty minutes as she turned her back to him as well and walked the other way.

\---

Later that night, Betty was sitting next to Cheryl and Toni, who were snuggling on the couch as they all rewatched Mean Girls for the millionth time. Cheryl and Toni were going on a weekend trip to New York over Memorial Day weekend to see the Mean Girls musical on Broadway, so they insisted on brushing up on all their references. Betty was hitching a ride with them to New York the following day so she could catch a train to Jersey City and hang out with Polly and the twins for a couple days before she had to catch a bus back to Massachusetts in time for her Memorial Day shift at Urban. It was worth it, though, to spend a little time with her favorite people in the world.

Neither Polly nor Betty had spoken to their parents since Betty had left for college, so Polly, Juniper, and Dagwood were the only real family she felt like she had left. She realized that there was still stuff she hadn’t told Jughead. Earlier that day, she had felt a little embarrassed for sharing so much about her sister when he didn’t think they were close enough to do the same about his father, but she had her own shit too. She didn’t know if she was quite ready to open up about her parents yet either. A story, as he’d said, for another day.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear Cheryl and Toni yelling her name. “Earth to Betty!” Cheryl cried.

Betty finally whipped her head around. “What? Sorry?”

Cheryl laughed. “Well, for one, the ‘we should totally just stab Caesar!’ scene is one of your favorites and you didn’t make a peep.”

“Andddddd you’ve been sitting on that bowl for like, five minutes,” Toni added, pointing to Betty’s bong that was in her hand.

“Shit, sorry,” Betty said, hastily passing lighter and bong to Toni.

“It’s okay, girl,” Toni said, laughing as she lit the bowl and passed to Cheryl. “Thinking about...Jughead?”

Betty blushed. “Stop it! We’re just friends.”

“I heard you ran into each other at CVS earlier,” Toni teased.

“Jughead told you?” Betty asked. “Did he say I was acting too eager? Because I’m really trying not to!”

Cheryl and Toni burst out laughing. “Seriously, Betty, you’re fine. Jughead talked about you purely in friend terms, nothing weird,” Toni said.

“Okay, good.”

“Plus, Jughead was a lil mad at me. I may or may not have failed to mention Cheryl and I were going away this weekend, and we all usually, like, ironically have a barbecue on Memorial Day. It’s kind of a high school tradition,” Toni sounded guilty.

“Aw, poor Jug,” Betty said.

“You could go cheer him up but you, too, are leaving for the great mid-Atlantic,” Cheryl said dramatically. “Now, back to the movie, ladies. TT and I need to study up.” Toni put down the bong and snuggled in closer to Cheryl as they refocused their attentions on the movie.

Betty heard her phone “ding” on the coffee table and quickly picked it up when she noticed Jughead’s name on the screen.

JUGHEAD: Hey, did you know Cheryl and Toni were going to NYC this weekend?

Betty looked over at the snuggling couple next to her as she texted back, trying not to look too suspicious so Cheryl and Toni wouldn’t tease her for texting Jughead.

BETTY: Yeah :( tho totally not cool Toni didn’t tell you earlier! She said she’s missing a friend tradition?

JUGHEAD: I’ll be okay. Still got Fangs and Sweets. They’re...okay ;) What are you doing this weekend? I rudely forgot to ask about your Memorial Day plans at CVS.

BETTY: I know, HOW RUDE OF YOU! Such bad CVS etiquette, I was considering never talking to you again ;) I’m actually hitching a ride to NYC with Choni to see my sister for a short trip! Can easily catch the PATH to see her in JC where she lives. Then I’m coming back for Monday.

JUGHEAD: I’m sorry...Choni?

BETTY: That’s the ship name Kevin and I secretly use to talk about them behind their back!! They’re so coupley, they’re asking for it. You know you think we’re hilarious.

JUGHEAD: Fair point. Not my style, but I respect your game. Have fun in NJ with your sister! If you’re around on Monday, you can always stop by our totally ironic Memorial Day bbq.

BETTY: God, that sounds amazing. But, alas, I am a mere cog in the machine. I must work :(

JUGHEAD: Damn! My boss is actually being pretty cool and having us close early, at 2 PM.

BETTY: That’s awesome! Well, have fun with the boys and think of lil ol me dealing with the tourists when you’re living it UP! No, but forreal, you deserve it. You hard-working barista, you.

JUGHEAD: Lol, thank you. I at least succeed at being the most sardonic barista in Allston, right?

BETTY: It IS Allston, Jug, you have some tough competition. But I’d say you’re easily top 5.

JUGHEAD: Lol, I’ll take it.

Betty paused, unsure what to type back. She glanced back at Cheryl and Toni, surprised they hadn’t noticed yet, but they were deeply engrossed in the end of the movie. Cady was now throwing pieces of the spring fling crown into the crowd. Betty looked back down at her phone. She had gotten so into their conversation she had kind of forgotten to try to keep her cool. The conversation just flowed so easily between them. But she needed to slow down. How could she end this conversation before she got too flirty?

BETTY: Good :) I should probably head to bed since I have to be up early. Cheryl has a strict 7 AM wake-up call awaiting me in the morning.

JUGHEAD: Wow, I shudder to think what would happen if you didn’t wake up on time. Cheryl’s a little scary.

BETTY: I love her more than anything, but it’s true.

JUGHEAD: Safe travels! Tell Toni she’s forgiven.

BETTY: Will do! Good night :)

Betty started gathering her weed and bong from the coffee table and bringing it back into her room as the movie winded down. As Betty came back to retrieve her water glass, Cheryl and Toni finally stirred.

“Going to bed?” Cheryl asked, yawning as Toni climbed off her and got to her feet as well.

“We gotta be up at 7 right?” Betty asked.

“On the dot, bitch,” Cheryl said, pointing at Betty with a stern look on her face.

Betty laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll be up.” She turned to Toni. “By the way, Jughead said you’re forgiven.” She quickly turned on her heel and walked back to her room, shutting it behind her just as she heard both Cheryl and Toni yell, “BITCHHHHHHH!”

Alone in her room, Betty smoked a pre-bed bowl. She took a final hit and set her bong aside next to her charging phone. She double-checked that her alarms were set and then lied back in her bed. She still felt completely wired from her conversation with Jughead, and even their CVS interaction earlier that day. She was so attracted to him, and the way their banter flew back and forth? He really could keep up, and it felt like she’d known him so much longer than she had.

She continued to lie there, willing sleep to come. When it didn’t, she sighed. Only one thing left to do. She leaned over and opened the drawer in her nightstand, withdrawing her light pink vibrator. As she pulled down her underwear and guided the vibrator inside, she shut her eyes and pictured Jughead lying on top of her, pressing his naked chest to her breasts, playing with a nipple with one of his hands. She moaned, imagining his long fingers replacing the vibrator and plunging into her, working her in and out until she’d be a crying mess. She breathed harder and rolled over, riding the vibrator and picking the speed setting up one notch. Almost there. She pictured Jughead kissing down her legs now before flicking his tongue against her clit, and that was it, she was over the edge, panting and riding her orgasm out before turning her vibrator off. She quickly stood up, slightly embarrassed at herself, wiping her vibrator clean with a paper towel and making a mental note to clean it more thoroughly in the morning when she got ready to leave.

As she climbed back into bed, she felt much sleepier but also far guiltier. It was a strange mix of lingering arousal and shame. Not entirely unfamiliar territory when it came to masturbating, but this was different. She wondered to herself, was it wrong to masturbate while fantasizing about a guy who isn’t sure if he’s attracted to you yet? She hoped not, because she had no idea how she would get through her friendship with Jughead if she couldn’t relieve herself in some way. She didn’t have time to continue stressing about that, though, as the combined effects of weed and her quick but effective masturbation sesh lulled her into a content sleep.

\---

Back in Jughead’s room, he reread his text conversation with Betty before tossing his phone aside. He was struck by how quickly they had developed this rapport. It felt comfortable and natural, and that was the strange part for him. Those weren’t words one would typically use to describe Jughead’s relationship with anyone besides his oldest friends. She had even made him feel marginally better about Toni missing their Memorial Day tradition, even if he had been more disappointed than he’d expected he’d be when Betty said she was working and couldn’t stop by. Was that attraction? He tried to picture himself kissing Betty, but it just felt wrong and like he was somehow violating her by trying to picture that. Like he hadn’t unlocked that part of her for himself yet.

He opened his laptop. Instead of picking up where he’d left off in his novel, he opened a blank word document and just started writing down all the varied feelings he’d had about Betty since they had really connected for the first time in Cheryl and Betty’s apartment the weekend before. Knowing it wasn’t likely he was going to fall asleep, he figured he’d try to work through his nervous and unsure thoughts the only way he knew how.

He knew this had to be good. He repeated the thought from Toni to himself, needing to continually remind himself of it: he’d never know if something could be there unless he allowed himself to plunge into this friendship, fully and unafraid. Or, as unafraid as he could muster. No matter what, in a couple short weeks, he’d see her in class every Wednesday.


	4. June 1 - 17, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As June begins, summer is in full swing. Everyone is working like crazy, but Cheryl resurrects the gang’s Sunday night drinks tradition. Betty and Jughead’s summer class finally starts, and Father’s Day brings a lot of feelings to the surface for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, y'all, life got very busy! (Including me finding a therapist, yay!) But here you go, Chapter 4, my longest one yet. I've got so much fun stuff coming, I'm so excited about where this fic is headed and hope y'all are too. Drop a comment if you liked it and thanks for reading, loves :) xoxo Maria

Friday, June 1

Early morning light shined through the kitchen windows as Betty bustled around, getting ready for her opening shift at Urban. She shoved her book and water bottle into her backpack while waiting for the toaster to ding. 

When Betty had gotten back from New Jersey on Memorial Day, she had hit the ground running, picking up shifts to cover for co-workers whenever she could and reminding her manager who made the schedule that, besides Wednesday mornings, she was open to working as much as possible that summer. Since Polly and Betty had decided to cut themselves off from their parents, Betty lived off a combination of her retail work money and whatever extra money Polly could scrape together to send her each month - which wasn’t much. Betty was on a scholarship that covered most of her school expenses and living off campus with Cheryl helped, since Cheryl paid more than her share of rent with her parents’ money to ensure Betty could afford to live with her.

Betty could remember the day they signed the lease, at the end of their sophomore year when they were finally released from having to pay for the expensive dorm rooms their college required underclassmen live in. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with paying this much?” Betty had asked, holding a pen in her shaky hand, looking over the super official-looking documents laid out on the table below them with a look of apprehension.

Cheryl had gingerly taken the pen from Betty’s hand, and without a moment’s hesitation, signed her name in a sweeping, well-practiced flourish. “My parents’ blood money has to be good for something, B,” she said. “Ensuring you can continue to survive without having to deal with your abusive parents is definitely a worthy cause.”

Betty smiled, signing her own name with renewed confidence. The two hugged, finally sealing another two years of living together in a home where they both felt safe and loved, two essential ingredients missing from both their childhoods.

Back to the present, Cheryl came bounding into the kitchen. 

“Betty! You’re actually home. What a miracle,” she said. 

“Hey, girl,” Betty said just as the toaster dinged. She grabbed her toast and sat at the table to eat and drink her coffee.

Cheryl pulled up the chair opposite her. “I feel like you’ve barely been home at the same time as me since I got back from NYC.”

“That’s the six-day week I’ve been working,” Betty said between bites of toast. “I’ve barely seen anyone, to be honest.”

“How are Pollykins and the twins?” Cheryl asked, smiling fondly at the thought of the two adorable five-year-olds they both loved to dote on.

“Good! The twins are gonna be starting first grade in the fall, if you can believe it. And Polly has really good hours at the hotel right now, so no huge complaints. It was nice to spend time with them,” Betty said, smiling at the thought. 

Cheryl smiled, while reaching across the table for a bowl she had left there the night before. “I have a day off,” she explained as she started filling it with weed from her grinder. “Well, I’m so glad you got to spend time with Polly. I hope you gave all of them my love!”

“Of course I did, they said they miss you,” Betty said, smiling as she finished off her toast and Cheryl took her first hit of the day. “So, what have I missed? I assume there has to be some new drama you’ve been dying to tell me.”

“Well, Toni finally convinced me to actually stay over at her apartment one night this week, I don’t know if you noticed. And you know how hard it is for me to handle sleeping in majority-man spaces,” Cheryl immediately began gushing, placing her hand dramatically on her chest. “They never refill the toilet paper fast enough.”

Betty giggled between sips of coffee. “How did that go?” she asked, quirking her eyebrows.

“Pretty good. We watched some old horror movies and drank beer. Well, besides Jughead, he doesn’t drink as I’m sure you know,” she raised her eyebrows suggestively and laughed as Betty’s cheeks turned red the second she heard Jughead’s name.

“That sounds fun,” Betty said, refusing to give in to Cheryl’s suggestiveness.

“Oh it was,” Cheryl gushed. “And Jughead asked about you.”

Betty gulped on her final sip of coffee and quickly stood up to load her dishes into the washer in an attempt to hide the giddy look spreading across her face. “Oh, really?” she asked as she bustled around the kitchen cleaning up after herself.

“Oh, yes. And I told him you were a total workaholic and that we had barely seen you since you got back from your trip to JC,” Cheryl got up from the table and followed Betty into the kitchen, where she was double-checking she had everything in her backpack. “Which he, of course, already knew about,” Cheryl continued, placing her hands on her hips as she stood facing Betty. “Have you two been texting?”

Betty blushed, zipping up her backpack once and for all. “Yes, we have, a bit,” Betty said, smiling. “And I’ve loved it but have been trying to hold back, as you know the situation. Happy? Is that enough juice to start your day with, girl?” 

Cheryl licked her lips and nodded approvingly. “That’ll do, B. But I also need you to promise you can come to the bar Sunday night! While you’ve been MIA we have decreed that we must restart the Sunday night drinks tradition. The whole gang is in on it.”

Betty was happily reminded of the many great, hazy memories she had from their old ritual. Sunday night drinks had been a cornerstone of their junior year: the Pussycats, Cheryl and Betty and occasionally Toni or one of her friends, and Kevin and Moose and some of the guys from their apartment were the usual crew that came to their favorite sticky Allston dive bar, complete with cheap pitchers of beer, pool, darts, and, most importantly, ample seating. All the fixings for a fun unwinding night with friends before the week started. The nights had fizzled out in April as finals week and various end-of-school-year activities kept many of them from showing up multiple Sundays in a row, and as the summer had begun, they had faded into oblivion. But not if Cheryl Blossom, still desperate for a perfect first summer with her new girlfriend and friends, had anything to say about it.

“That’s such a good idea! I’ve missed those,” Betty said, shrugging her backpack onto her shoulders. “I definitely have that night off this week, and I can talk to the manager who does the schedule about only giving me Sunday day shifts. I barely take any time off and she likes me, so hopefully I can swing it.”

Cheryl clapped her hands together and wrapped Betty in a quick hug. “Yay! I’m so excited. I’ve missed you, girl.”

“I’ve missed you too. But I’ll be back by dinnertime, day shift today. Smokes and a movie tonight?”

“You’ve got it, babe,” Cheryl said, blowing Betty a kiss as she headed for the door. “See you later!”

Betty locked the door behind her and opened the bus tracker app on her phone. The 66 was seven minutes away. Plenty of time to make it to the bus stop. Just as she was putting her headphones in and opening Spotify to pick a song, a text popped up from Jughead. She quickly opened the text.

He had simply sent her a meme about how late the MBTA always was with a crying laughing emoji, but it was enough to make Betty blush. I’m so embarrassing, she thought to herself as she turned her music on and started walking toward the bus thinking of something witty enough to type back.

BETTY: Top-notch MBTA meme. I’m impressed.

JUGHEAD: Oh, I’ve got the memes. Don’t doubt me.

BETTY: My mistake, I’ll never doubt you again!

JUGHEAD: Cheryl says you’ve been working a shit ton. Sucks :(

BETTY: On my way to work as we speak! But it’s okay, gotta do what u gotta do to pay the bills.

JUGHEAD: You’re tellin’ me. Wish I could write all day and leave the barista life behind.

BETTY: Lol totally feel you. That sounds like way more fun than helping ppl buy overpriced clothes 6 days a week.

JUGHEAD: Lol well have a good day at work!

BETTY: Thx Jug!

By the time Betty reached the bus stop, her heart was racing. The conversation between them always seemed to waver somewhere between cordial and friendly and deeply personal and intimate. It just seemed to pour out of the both of them in a natural way, and Betty certainly wasn’t complaining. The only problem was that it was clearly noticeable how enamored she was with Jughead. While she had been visiting Polly and the twins in Jersey City, Polly had caught her texting Jughead within the first 24 hours she’d arrived.

Betty had been helping Polly dry the dishes from dinner on her first night when she’d paused, dish towel still in hand, to open a text from Jughead. She grinned at the comeback he’d sent her and began to compose something equally cheeky when she noticed Polly standing opposite her, hand outstretched as if to take Betty’s phone.

Betty laughed. “May I help you, Mommy Polly?”

Polly beckoned again toward the phone with her hand. “Hand it over, little sis,” she said, and Betty sighed and passed her the phone. She had never been able to say no to Polly, not since they were little kids.

Polly glanced over at their text exchange from throughout the day and shook her head. “Jug-head?” she read the name at the top of the screen. Then, to Betty’s horror, she began reading their earlier conversation about literature aloud. “‘Have you read An Untamed State by Roxane Gay? It is the most heartbreaking yet poignant thing I’ve read all year,’ who are you writing to, a middle-aged woman from your book club?”

Betty crossed her arms. “No, just a cute English Lit major. And you should read that book too, if you haven’t.”

Polly laughed. “Betty, you’ve been holding out on me! Come on, you know I’m a boring single mother, how could you hide gossip from me for this long?” She placed her hand on her chest in mock outrage before giving Betty the phone back.

Betty laughed. “I didn’t mean to purposefully keep it from you, I was just waiting to tell you until it became something real!” Betty turned around to start drying their wine glasses.

Polly grabbed another dish towel and a plate from the drying rack and joined Betty. “If you thought I wasn’t gonna notice you blushing at your phone all weekend, you have forgotten who I am as a person.”

Betty laughed. “I will never doubt your sisterly/motherly skills again,” she said. “But the reason I didn’t tell you right away is because it’s a guy I really like but who I have to be just friends with...at least, for now.” 

Polly knit her eyebrows together in confusion at that, and Betty launched into the entire demisexual explanation once again. “Hmm,” Polly said when Betty was done, tucking the dish towel onto the oven door as they finished. “Well, all I’m going to say is this: one - your patience and understanding are admirable and why I and everyone else love you.” Betty grinned. “And two - I have never seen you blush like that about a guy before. So for what it’s worth, I’m Team Bughead.”

Betty grimaced. “Bughead? Oh my GOD, don’t give Kevin any ideas!”

“Are you kidding? Don’t you two call Cheryl and Toni ‘Choni’?”

“That’s different!”

Back at the bus stop in Allston a week later, Betty waited for the bus with a grin on her face. She was definitely Team Bughead too.

 

Sunday, June 3

Cheryl and Betty couldn’t contain their excitement as they walked from the bus stop down the street to Toni’s apartment, passing a joint back and forth, both giddy at the thought of resurrecting their favorite tradition and seeing all their friends. It was a typical summer night in Allston, and everyone was out on their porches, lounging in cheap beach chairs, drinking beer, and smoking. Both Cheryl and Betty had just gotten off work in Harvard Square an hour before, scarfed down food together, and then gone to the bathroom in the Coop to change and fix their make-up before boarding the bus back to Allston.

“Work has been so terrible and busy lately, I seriously cannot wait to unwind,” Betty said, passing the joint back to Cheryl.

“I could feel that. Tourists are truly the absolute worst. Although I’ve made it my mission this summer to educate every European customer I meet about the oppressive subminimum wage servers have to work under. I will be paid, dammit!” Cheryl ranted, blowing out a thick plume of smoke to punctuate her point.

“Hear, hear!” Betty said as she took a hit. They reached Toni, Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs’ building and walked up the creaky porch steps to the front door. 

“You nervous, B?” Cheryl asked in a low tone, and Betty shoved her playfully and rang the bell for Apartment 2 defiantly.

Cheryl passed the joint back to her, which resulted in Betty accidentally greeting Toni with a faceful of smoke when she finally opened the door.

Toni coughed and fanned her hand in front of her face. “Y’all are at Sitcom Character levels of stoner today,” she said, laughing. 

“I’m so sorry, girl! Total accident,” Betty said, offering her the joint.

Toni took it, still laughing. “There is only ever weed in this apartment when y’all come through. Have you ever been here, Betty?” She beckoned for them to come inside.

“I think once, but just to pick you up with Cheryl. I don’t think I came inside,” Betty admitted, looking curiously at the weird paintings lining the hall. They came into the kitchen, where Fangs and Sweet Pea were scarfing down pizza at the kitchen counter.

“Hello, boys,” Cheryl said, dropping her bag down on the counter. “Are you two joining us tonight at the bar?”

Fangs shook his head. “We have a double date with these girls from our old neighborhood.” Cheryl wolf-whistled in response.

Sweet Pea laughed. “But thanks for the invite, we’ll definitely try to make it next time.”

Toni offered them the joint, and soon the kitchen was covered in a nice white haze. “I swear, you two are contagious,” Toni muttered under her breath, staring up at the swirls of white smoke as Cheryl ashed the finished joint. “I need to go finish getting ready and then we can go.” She started walking down the hall toward her room, and Cheryl motioned for Betty to follow.

They passed a room with the door ajar and Betty heard the familiar sound of one of her favorite artists, SiR, emitting from within. She peered in for a second, allowing Cheryl and Toni to continue ahead to Toni’s room. Inside the room, Jughead was sitting with his back to her at his desk, typing away at his laptop with the music playing softly in the background. Betty knocked at the door frame twice. “Knock, knock,” she added playfully aloud.

Jughead turned around and grinned when he saw her. “Oh, hey,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“So, this is where the magic happens,” Betty said, inwardly wincing at the cliched statement and taking a timid step inside the room.

“What are you doing here?” Jughead asked.

“Sorry, this is very The OC.” When Jughead’s face only looked confused, Betty elaborated, “On that show, the characters would always just show up at each other’s bedroom doors. Like, how did they get in the house? And they even made fun of it on the show because it was so ridiculous.” She laughed, and Jughead did too. “As you can see, I have a vast and varied list of references.”

“You’re an enigma, Cooper,” Jughead said, still laughing.

Betty smiled. “Also, to actually answer your question, I’m here with Cheryl to pick Toni up for bar night. Which I wouldn’t suppose you’re joining us for?”

Jughead frowned and shook his head. “Nah, I got a long night of writing ahead.”

Betty walked closer to his computer. “You writing your super secret novel?”

Jughead quickly shut the laptop. “Nice try,” he said jokingly, standing and shoving his hands into his pockets. “It’s good to see you, though.”

“You too!” Betty said, clearing her throat. “What have you been up to?”

“Working, writing, and more working,” Jughead said. He thought about it for a second. “And more writing. A lot of long nights writing lately.”

Betty nodded approvingly. “Oh, the troubled writer. I love it. I love the commitment to the English Lit major aesthetic.”

Jughead played along. “It feels good to be recognized, it really does.” He paused. “And how about you? Things been good?”

“I feel you on the working, working, working. Just trying to spend as much of my non-work time reading as I can before we have homework again next week,” Betty said.

“I feel that. It’s so hard to keep up with reading for pleasure when you have assigned reading competing with it,” Jughead said.

Betty was about to ask what Jughead was currently reading when Cheryl and Toni appeared in the doorway looking a little more flustered than they had before. Definite post-make-out sesh.

“You bitches ready?” Cheryl asked. “We cannot be late.”

“Jughead’s not coming, Cheryl. He has plans to be a broody writer boy well into the night,” Toni teased, resting her arm across Cheryl’s shoulders.

Betty and Jughead both laughed. “Yes, that was what we were just discussing,” Betty said. She turned to Jughead. “I will see you in class. Good luck writing the Great American Novel.”

Jughead gave her a military salute. “Have fun, ladies,” he said, closing his bedroom door as they walked down the hall toward the front door and a night of inebriated fun.

 

Wednesday, June 6

Betty sat on the bus home from work, staring out the window at the endless blue of the Charles River as they crossed the bridge, when she got a text from Jughead.

JUGHEAD: Hey Betty. You see that fun little reminder from our new prof?

Betty’s eyes widened and she curled her nails into her palms. She hadn’t checked her email since she’d gotten off work, and not knowing something about one of her classes triggered a deep-seated anxiety that went back as far as she could remember, that need to be always perfect that her parents instilled in her bubbling suddenly to the surface. She hastily opened her school email app and refreshed until the unread email from their new postcolonial studies professor appeared at the top.

It was a simple email reminding them that they were one week away from their first morning class, and to please purchase the two books and read the first chapter of Intro to Postcolonialism. Betty sighed in relief and leaned her head back against the bus seat for a second. She’d ordered the assigned books weeks ago, and could picture exactly where they sat on the bookshelf in her room. Although it was a good reminder to get started on that reading. And a reminder that seeing Jughead would soon be a weekly occurrence...and she could hardly wait.

She switched to the messages app as fast as she could, eager to return Jughead’s message.

BETTY: Honestly, I haven’t started the chapter yet, so he could’ve saved me

JUGHEAD: Oh, don’t worry Betty, I would’ve reminded you

BETTY: Aw, thanks Jug! Have you started reading it yet?

JUGHEAD: lol...no. But I’ll start now!

BETTY: Same :) 

 

Sunday, June 10

It was the day after Boston Pride, and even though Kevin, Moose, Cheryl, and Toni had danced and drank their asses off the day before, they still remained loyal to the Sunday night drinks traditions. Betty sat between Josie and Kevin, nursing a gin-and-tonic and giggling as Melody told a hilarious story from a show where she’d been hired to sing with a wedding band comprised of skinny white Berklee boys.

“They were trying so hard not to offend me the entire night, it was adorable. Cute lil white ally boys,” Melody said, laughing and taking a sip of her beer.

Josie put a finger in the air. “But that’s what will get ya, Melody. They’ll lure you in with their perfectly-crafted white ally statements and then SNAP! they ruin your life. Tread carefully.” Everyone laughed.

“White boys are so dangerous,” Moose agreed, bowing his head before taking a swig of his drink.

Melody dramatically paused as she took a large gulp of her beer. “I fucked the guitar player,” she said bluntly and everyone shrieked with laughter.

It was moderately packed in the bar. The group, which was comprised of all the Pussycats, Betty, Kevin, Moose, Cheryl, and Toni, was crowded around their favorite large wooden booth. Most of the dartboards in the back of the bar were surrounded by groups of players, and someone had recently put “Stacy’s Mom” on the jukebox to everyone’s delight and enthusiastic singing along. Betty was rocking a light high and a light alcohol buzz, feeling happy and excited to face her week - which just so happened to include her first class with Jughead.

“So, what is everyone up to this week?” Val asked, sucking on a lime from her drink. 

“Thanks for asking, Val,” Kevin said. “Moose and I are hitching a ride to the Cape tomorrow with this adorable dude we met at Pride and we’re gonna hit Ptown for a couple days.” Moose nodded enthusiastically.

“Wear. Condoms,” Cheryl said, pointing her finger at them threateningly.

“Yes, mom,” Moose and Kevin said in a chorus, and everyone laughed.

“Toni and I are just working and fucking, the usual,” Cheryl said casually, throwing her arm around Toni, who smirked. Everyone shook their heads and laughed.

“We have three bookings this week for parties,” Josie offered, and Melody and Val nodded along with her. “We’re fine-tuning the repertoire for the house show we’re playing in a few weeks. Y’all are still good to host, right?” she asked, pointing her stirrer at Moose and Kevin.

“100% yes. You know our roommates will host a house show for practically anyone, and y’all are the literal headliners of the Boston college music scene,” Kevin gushed. 

“We always got you,” Moose added.

“Oh, Betty?” Josie teased, nudging her. “You’ve been awfully quiet. What are you up to this week?”

Betty looked up from where she had been carefully observing one of the darts games happening in the corner of the bar while half-listening to her friends. “Sorry,” she said, practically knocking over her drink in her haste to refocus herself on the conversation. “I’m a little spacey.”

Kevin smirked. “Hmm, wonder why,” he teased, nudging Betty himself.

“Can you stop nudging me, bitches?” Betty said, rubbing her arms. “You’re gonna give me bruises.” 

Everyone booed. “Drama queen!” Cheryl yelled, throwing a bar napkin at Betty from across the table.

Josie laughed. “Oh, please. Cheryl and Kevin filled us in a little bit, but you’ve got to spill about this dude you’ve got class with! Kevin says you’re texting constantly?”

Betty smacked Kevin lightly on the shoulder. “You fuckin’ snitch,” she said through gritted teeth. She glanced nervously at Toni, who quickly made the motion of zipping her mouth closed. Betty sighed. “Okay, okay, I’ve been...becoming friends with Toni’s friend Jughead,” she motioned toward Toni in an attempt to get the spotlight off her.

Toni nodded and gave Betty the assist. “He’s demisexual, so he doesn’t feel sexual attraction for people until he’s formed an emotional connection with them. So he can’t really...commit to dating Betty,” she tried to explain.

Everyone at the table nodded along. “It’s cool that he’s so open about that,” Val said.

“He’s a pretty cool dude,” Toni agreed, smiling and nodding toward Betty encouragingly. 

Betty nodded. “Yeah, so we’ve been texting SOMEWHAT,” she said, nudging Kevin. “But not CONSTANTLY. And yes, we have a summer class together, and it starts this Wednesday.”

Everyone ooh’d loudly, causing Betty to blush and shake her head. “Can’t take you people anywhere!” she exclaimed, taking a large sip of her gin and tonic.

“If one thing is for sure, Betty Cooper has a crush,” Cheryl declared. She put her glass into the center of the table. “To Future Bughead,” she said, winking at Kevin and Betty in recognition that their secret Choni nickname wasn’t quite so secret. Everyone clinked and yelled “To Future Bughead!” while Kevin looked shocked and Betty simply threw her head into her hands.

“I have the most embarrassing friends in the world,” she sighed. Toni laughed at her from across the table. 

Kevin patted her on the head. “Wanna go outside and smoke?”

“God, yes.”

 

Tuesday, June 12

Betty was thankful to have a day shift the day before her first class. Although she had always loved school, the anxiety she felt before anything new being added to her routine was already gnawing at her stomach by the time she left work at 5 PM, and she was ready for a night of smoking weed, comfort food, and watching mindless TV with Cheryl.

As she sat on the couch waiting for Cheryl to come home, smoking her first bowl of the night and scrolling through GrubHub for some takeout to order, she received a text from Jughead. She smiled happily, immediately opening it. She wondered if it looked super desperate that she always answered Jughead right away, but she had never been one for playing games and she honestly just wanted to talk to him. It excited Betty that Jughead texted her first most of the time, and how easily they had fallen into a routine of being friends. 

Plus, her own attraction to Jughead wasn’t necessarily a secret in their friendship; he had acknowledged it head-on the first time they had hung out alone together with his outburst about not being able to kiss her like she so clearly wanted. It wasn’t like she had denied it. It was a slight undercurrent in all their conversations, and yet it didn’t keep them from acting as friends. It simply fed the flirtatious tint to every exchange. There was a flutter of ‘what if’ in each interaction and not in an anxious, uncomfortable way like Betty was used to. This was exciting. To Betty, it felt like they could be at the beginning of something wonderful.

JUGHEAD: Ready for tomorrow?

BETTY: Ready as I’ll ever be. I read the chapter and now I’m doing my usual pre-first day of school ritual.

JUGHEAD: Lol I read the chapter too. I’m excited to discuss in class. What’s your ritual?

BETTY: Me too! This class is seriously gonna be dope. And can you guess what my ritual is?

JUGHEAD: Something involving your bff Mary Jane?

BETTY: LMAO you did not just say that

Cheryl walked in the door to find Betty curled up on the couch legitimately laughing her ass off, a half-smoked bowl in her bong on the coffee table. 

“What’s so funny, B?” Cheryl asking, grinned as she shut the door behind her and dropped her bag on the floor. “I love coming home to a happy Betty.”

Betty smiled and put her phone on the coffee table before offering the bong to Cheryl. “Just something Jughead said.” 

Cheryl sat beside her on the couch and took a hit. “I love comedy. Lay it on me. Unless it’s private…”

“No, no, no,” Betty said, rolling her eyes. “Not private. He just referred to weed as ‘my bff Mary Jane.’”

Cheryl coughed out her hit as she laughed. “Oh, my God,” she said, grabbing Betty’s water glass from the coffee table. “Okay, that’s funny. Isn’t it so cute how none of them really smoke regularly?”

Betty laughed. “Truly cute,” she agreed. “But we said good-bye for the night, as Jughead is going to dinner with his whole apartment.”

“Yes, it’s very cute when they do that. Old friends and everything. Now, what are we ordering, Betty? Because I’m hungry and this weed is only making me hungrier. Teriyaki House?” Cheryl asked.

“You know me too well. But, yes. I need those scallion pancakes for my first day of school jitters,” Betty explained. 

“Girl, you know I’m always down for some shrimp fried rice. Let’s do this.” 

As Cheryl entered their usual order into her GrubHub app, Betty continued to smoke. 

“Is this the usual first day of school jitters or something more?” Cheryl asked, searching Betty’s face.

Betty sighed, passing the bong and looking down into her lap. “I’m nervous to have class with Jughead, but I’m also not. I mean, we’ve already become closer friends just mostly texting since we last hung out one-on-one, and I’m excited to see him more regularly.”

Cheryl smiled. “I’m really happy for you, Betty. All jokes aside, I’m rooting for you two.” She squeezed Betty’s shoulder lightly.

“Thanks, Cheryl,” Betty rested her head on Cheryl’s shoulder. “I just hope that everyone hyping me up at the bar doesn’t somehow get back to Jughead. I don’t want him to think I’m trying to pressure him or put his whole story on blast like that.”

“Don’t worry, girl, the squad is trustworthy. And Toni definitely won’t tell him. But I do have some advice for you straight from Toni.” 

Betty sat up and faced Cheryl, a serious expression on her face. Cheryl said, “Toni said to always be as honest with Jughead as you can be. She didn’t get into specifics, being typical Toni, but she said that his childhood was filled with a lot of lies and as a result he really values honesty.” 

Betty nodded. “I feel the same way because of how much my parents used to lie to me to manipulate me to do what they wanted,” she looked down at the faint scars on her hands. It had been a surprisingly good week. 8 days since she’d last pierced the skin in a moment of anxiety. It had been hard for her since the school year had ended, as she usually went to a therapist at the school’s counseling center every other week and couldn’t afford a therapist otherwise. Summers were hard.

Cheryl watched Betty examining her hands. “You’ve been doing well, right?” she asked softly. “You know I’m always down to subsidize your therapy…” 

Cheryl went once a week to a therapist, paid for by her parents. It was a long story not often told, but essentially, using information she had on their maple syrup empire, Cheryl had long ago blackmailed her parents into paying for her expenses even though she rarely went home. She said she’d rather get something out of them than cut her evil parents off completely. And the information she had on them was so damning that Cheryl had never even told Betty what it was, not wanting her to be “implicated,” she said. As a result, Betty had always felt uncomfortable taking too much from Cheryl. She was happy for the help with the rent, but when it came to healthcare, she would go forward alone.

“Thanks, as always, for the offer, but I’m good.” 

Cheryl nodded, smiling. “Well, in any case, I’m sure tomorrow will be great.” She grabbed the remote. “Continue our OC rewatch?”

Betty laughed at the memory of The OC reference Jughead hadn’t understood the last time she’d seen him in person. “Perfect.”

 

Wednesday, June 13

Betty arrived at class ten minutes early, per her usual fear of being late to class. She’d budgeted for a B train delay when deciding what time to leave and it had paid off tremendously, as her train had been stalled for five minutes and she’d still arrived on campus with time to spare.

As she entered the classroom, a kind-looking man with glasses handed her a copy of the syllabus. “Welcome,” he said. “Updated syllabus for you.”

“Thanks! I’m Betty.”

“Nice to meet you, take a seat anywhere.” 

Betty looked down the long table the entire seminar-style class would be sitting around. There were only two other students there as early as her, and she spotted Jughead’s crown beanie at the end of the table. She grinned and made her way toward him.

“Hey, stranger,” she said, sitting down beside him. He looked up from where he had been leafing through the syllabus.

“Hey!” he said, looking up at her with his tired eyes. She noted the ever-present eyebags seemed a little deeper than the last time she’d seen him.

“How’ve you been? You look tired.” 

“Couldn’t sleep. Apparently my own pre-first day of school ritual,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

Betty laughed. “Is this syllabus actually updated much?” she asked, flipping through it absentmindedly.

“Looks like it. He added a partner project,” he said, groaning mildly.

“Well, good thing we already have partners, then, right?” Betty asked, her eyes sparkling as she smiled at him.

“True,” Jughead said, looking nervously away as he saw how eager Betty looked. More and more students were starting to trickle in. He quickly changed the subject. “How’s work been? The tourists still flocking?”

“Why, of course. But it’s been alright. Last couple days I’ve gotten scheduled to work with people I really like, so basically best case scenario.”

Jughead laughed along as Betty recounted a hilarious customer interaction, and before they both knew it, the professor was calling everyone’s attention to get the class started. 

The three-hour class flew by as they went through the syllabus and then launched into discussion about the first chapter of the textbook. Jughead found Betty to be a fun classmate, writing tiny, always spot-on notes in the margin of her notebook to him in her neat handwriting - commentary on what other students had said or jokes about their outfits. He found himself surprised, as this was what HE usually did whenever he was lucky enough to have a class with Toni. He realized he would have to up his game now that he had Betty as his class friend. Like him, Betty also seemed able to pay attention to the class discussion no matter how many little quips she thought of while doing so. She wasn’t a desperate-to-speak type, but she raised her hand to participate two or three times throughout the class, and each time Jughead was struck by how eloquent and honest her comments were. 

Jughead only participated once, but Betty was similarly taken aback (and, she had to admit it, a little aroused) by his insight into the reading. By the time class was dismissed, Betty was feeling even more excited to share a class with Jughead than she’d been before. Because most of the squad were taking such different majors than her, Betty rarely got to share classes with her good friends.

As Jughead started packing his stuff into his messenger bag, Betty realized she didn’t want their time together to end quite yet. “So, Jug, what are you doing after this?” She took the plunge.

Jughead looked up as he fastened his bag closed. “Nothing until 3 PM, when I’m working a closing shift.”

“Same! Well, kind of. I work at 4. Want to grab coffee?”

Jughead grinned. “I don’t know, we DID just get assigned a lot of reading.”

“I’ll buy you a croissant,” Betty said, challenging him with her hands on her hips.

“You learn quickly. I will never say no to a free pastry,” Jughead said, motioning for Betty to lead the way.

Over coffee, Betty and Jughead expanded on their handwritten asides from their first postcolonial studies class. 

“Seriously, that dude Trev is the WORST,” Betty gushed. One of her most animated notes to Jughead had been about Trev’s self-righteous monologues, of which their class had already been treated to approximately four. “He’s friends with some of Kevin and Moose’s roommates, and he loves to hear himself talk. He’s hit on me before, although it was hard to tell if that was what he was doing. Apparently his only mating tactic is talking AT women until they make an excuse to walk away, and I can’t see that working too often.”

Jughead burst out laughing. “That dude seriously was so redundant in his comments too. Like, you don’t have to make the same point three times.”

“I really like the professor though. He cut him off a couple times. I like a professor who is actually good at facilitating conversation and not letting some people dominate the entire thing. It makes it harder for quieter people to even have a chance of participating,” Betty said. “Oh, god, sorry, I’m ranting again.”

“It seems to come to you naturally even when you’re sober,” Jughead teased. “You are sober, aren’t you?”

Betty looked down at her coffee with a sheepish face. “I may have taken a couple hits off my wax pen in the bathroom, but hey! I have three and a half hours until I need to be at work and I need to unwind from my first class.”

Jughead laughed and held his hands up. “No judgment here. But that does explain some things.” He looked pointedly at the crumbs left behind when she devoured her chocolate croissant.

Betty threw her head back laughing. “This is Betty, take her or leave her,” she joked in a self-deprecating tone. With that, they continued their banter about that day’s class and their new classmates. 

About an hour later, Jughead looked down at his phone and noted the time. He definitely was having fun with Betty, but he needed to head back home to drop his school stuff off before his shift. “I think I gotta be heading back to Allston,” Jughead said, and Betty noted the slight regret in his tone.

“No worries. I told Cheryl I’d come hang with her at her restaurant before work. She’s been texting me how dead it is all day, and I’ve got time to kill.” She stood up, hoisting her backpack across her shoulders as Jughead followed her.

Outside the coffee shop, they stood waiting to part, as Jughead was headed to Allston and Betty was bound for Cambridge. “This was really fun,” Betty said. “We should make it a post-class tradition, as long as our schedules allow.”

Jughead grinned. “Your friends are pretty keen on traditions and rituals, huh?”

“Doesn’t it make life more fun?” Betty asked, searching his face, her eyes serious.

Jughead dropped his own smile and met her eyes. “Yeah, I guess it does.” He was consistently intrigued and impressed by Betty.

“I’ll see you next week. Tell Cheryl I say hey,” Jughead said, turning to walk toward his train.

“Have a good day at work!” Betty called back as they parted.

 

Sunday, June 17

It was Father’s Day, and Cheryl, Betty, and Kevin sat at their near-empty bar without their usual entourage of friends. Their more lucky friends without major daddy issues had all made the trip home to celebrate the day with their fathers, and meanwhile the three of them had continued the Sunday night tradition. By 8 PM, they were already a little drunk and were playing a fun little game aptly named by Kevin: Why My Dad Sucks.

“My dad is such a fake ally,” Kevin said, leaning forward in the booth and wiping sweat from his brow. “He claims to be so accepting, but then every time we see his friends or extended family, he won’t fucking mention me being gay. I’m so done with it. No more family events for me!” He pounded his fist on the table, causing their favorite bartender, a cute Latinx girl in her twenties named Veronica, to look over at them questioningly.

“Sorry, V!” Kevin yelled over at her.

“Don’t break anything!” she called back.

“What about you, Cheryl?” Kevin asked. “Why does your dad suck?” It was mostly for show, since all three of them could recite each others’ sob stories about their dads back to each other if they wanted.

Cheryl swirled her vodka cranberry with her stirrer, thinking. “So many reasons, where do I begin? Without telling you all explicitly about the many crimes my dear Daddykins has committed, I can tell you he is manipulative and violent. And somehow he and my mom have shamed me for both having emotions AND not having emotions at separate times throughout my life. It’s mind-boggling.”

Betty and Kevin both shook their heads in sympathetic silence as they all took another swig of their drinks.

“Your turn, Betty,” Cheryl said sadly.

“Let’s see,” Betty said, sipping her gin and tonic. “We’ve got: abusive, manipulative, controlling. Used to raise his voice and stand over me in this super intimidating, scary stance whenever I talked back to him. He never physically hurt me, but I was always afraid he was going to.”

The three friends sat in contemplative, mournful silence until Cheryl finally broke it by slamming her own hand down on the table. “Sorry Veronica!” she called again and Veronica shook her head, laughing as she mixed a drink for another patron. “We need to stop this wallowing!” Cheryl declared.

“Maybe we should...stop drinking and start smoking?” Betty suggested, a hopeful look on her face. Kevin and Cheryl grinned, knowing Betty far preferred smoking to drinking on any day.

“That’s a good idea, B. Smoking is sure to get us goofy and back in high spirits,” Kevin said, downing the rest of his drink in one gulp.

“Jesus, Kevin. When you make a decision, you commit,” Betty said, looking down at her own half-finished drink with a look of apprehension.

“Oh, stop this. We don’t have to finish our drinks so fast.” Cheryl got up, taking her cherry-red purse with her. “Veronica, will you watch our table while we dip outside for a smoke?”

There were only a few tables occupied so Veronica nodded. “I’ve got you guys,” she said kindly.

Outside, Betty retrieved a canister from her bag containing a carefully-rolled joint. The three of them walked a little ways from the bar and sat on the curb. Sunday nights in Allston were typically pretty slow on the street, with the occasional cars quietly passing them.

“So, what do your weeks look like?” Kevin asked, exhaling his first hit.

“Class and work! But I’m excited for class, I really like it so far,” Betty said enthusiastically, taking the joint from Kevin.

“Nice, B! It’s mostly work for me,” Cheryl said, frowning. “Although Toni and I both have Wednesday off, so we’re gonna take my car to Walden Pond and go for a swim. It’s supposed to be a hot one.”

“Ooh! Have fun,” Kevin said. “Where is Toni tonight, anyway?”

“She got stuck working a shift till 7:30, and she’s supposed to be headed our way after.” She checked her phone. “Oh, shit, she just said they’re on their way!”

Betty looked curious at the use of “they,” wondering which of Toni’s roommates was accompanying her. Sure enough, they were only halfway through their joint, having fun laughing and chattering, when Toni and Jughead approached from the distance.

“Oh my God, Jughead is actually coming out of his cave,” Kevin said, getting to his feet to greet them as they got closer, and winking at Betty.

Cheryl and Toni kissed hello, and Kevin forced Jughead into a semi-uncomfortable hug, which Betty stifled a laugh at. She finally stood, blowing smoke out and passing Toni the joint as she gave her a quick side-hug. Then, she turned to smile at Jughead. “Hey, hey,” she said, trying to keep her tone light and friendly.

“Good to see you,” Jughead said. “I see you heathens are out here smoking.”

“Better than the heathenism going on with the alcohol in there,” Betty countered, pointing at the bar.

“True, true,” Jughead said, smiling as the two of them allowed themselves to be swept up into the story Kevin was telling Cheryl and Toni. Soon, the joint was finished.

“Back inside? Veronica is saving our table,” Cheryl said.

“Yes, but maybe for just one more drink?” Betty asked. “The vibe in there is not as cheerful as usual, and we have more weed back at the apartment!”

“I like the way you think, Cooper,” Kevin said, patting her on the head as the group headed back into the bar. “Takin’ the party back to the apartment.”

Jughead followed behind, feeling in many ways like the odd person out. Toni had begged him to come along when she’d come home to drop off her work stuff and freshen up. “You never come out with us!” she’d yelled to him from the door of his bedroom. “You need to see something beyond these four walls and that cafe you work at.”

“Hey,” Jughead said defensively. “Betty and I went to coffee after our class this week. Isn’t that enough social interaction for awhile?”

Toni smiled and rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Ooh, you never told me how class went! That’s great. You guys are getting along then?”

“Before you start foaming at the mouth, Toni, for the last time, we’re just friends.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Well then. FRIENDS come along to the bar. It’s not gonna be you third-wheeling me and Cheryl. Betty and Kevin will be there too.”

Jughead sighed. “It’s just...Father’s Day. I’ve already seen enough Instagram and Facebook posts about adoring fathers to know I don’t feel like being around a bunch of people today.” 

Toni shook her head. “I would normally agree with you, but Betty, Kevin, and Cheryl are all in the same boat as us. Cheryl just texted me that they’re recounting all the worst things about their dads as we speak.”

Jughead’s ears perked up at that, as he was always open to making self-deprecating humor out of his childhood trauma. Typical broody English lit boy, Betty would say. “Okay, fine, you’ve convinced me. Let me run a comb through my hair and we’ll go.”

And that was how, two hours later, Jughead found himself sitting next to Betty on a bench swing on Cheryl and Betty’s back porch, which Jughead had not yet seen. Kevin was inside grabbing weed stuff, while Cheryl and Toni had long disappeared into Cheryl’s room with a paper-thin excuse. “This apartment is so great,” Jughead said, looking around at the paper lanterns and string lights Betty and Cheryl had decorated their outdoor space with.

“Thank God for Cheryl’s shitty parents and their blood money,” Betty said, laughing. “I pay so little to live here it’s insane.”

“Wow,” Jughead said, sipping the water Betty had gotten for him. “Cheryl really is a good friend.”

“The best,” Betty agreed, smiling. “So, how was your day?”

“Worked in the morning, took some jabs at peoples’ dads on Instagram, got some reading done for class. The usual.” 

“Very productive day, indeed,” Betty said, looking up as Kevin came rushing onto the porch holding Betty’s bong, an ashtray, and a grinder. 

“Okay, we’re halfway there!” he cried. “I’ll be right back with everything else!”

Betty reached into her shorts pocket for her lighter and, seeing that the bowl of the bong was already packed, lit the bowl. She exhaled a large hit away from Jughead and toward the apartment building behind them, which the porch faced.

“I heard you were recounting your worst dad stories,” Jughead said quietly.

“More like worst dad attributes,” Betty said. “But yes. None of us were blessed with A+ dads, unfortunately. I’m guessing you weren’t either?”

Jughead shook his head. “The full story is one for another day. But my dad sucked a lot. A lot of lying, a lot of being continually let down. It was hard to finally let go of him from my life but I feel a lot happier now that I have.” He was surprised at himself for revealing so much, but it felt right, given the day and the fact that he now knew with certainty that Betty could relate. That she wouldn’t judge.

“I feel that,” Betty said, sighing and exhaling another hit. “I haven’t talked to either of my parents since I made it to college. Polly and I realized that between the little extra money she can spare me and my scholarship, we could pull it off without them if I worked through school.” She looked over at Jughead nervously, gauging his reaction to something so real and intense about herself. “We’ve never looked back,” she added when she saw he was simply looking back at her with a soft and understanding look in his eyes, listening attentively.

“Guess we’ve got a lot in common,” he said quietly, watching her in the light of the paper lanterns as she lit another bowl. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Kevin finally came rushing back in, impressively balancing a portable speaker, a jar of weed, a lighter, and a glass of water. 

“Okay, who’s ready to talk Drag Race?” he gushed, laughing as both Betty and Jughead groaned. “I’m just kidding, you heteros. Although it IS Pride Month, you should have some respect for my culture.”

“I have the utmost respect,” Jughead said. 

“Same,” Betty promised.

“Then pass the bong, bitch!” Kevin yelled and all three of them laughed as Kevin put on the music and started dancing with the bong in his hand.

Soon Cheryl and Toni rejoined them on the porch. With Cheryl nestled in Toni’s lap in the big chair, Betty and Jughead rocking side by side on the swing, and Kevin dancing around the porch, it truly felt like the perfect Father’s Day evening for a bunch of 21-year-olds whose fathers had continually let them down. Friends are truly the family you choose for yourself, Betty thought happily to herself as she ripped the bong and passed it, closing her eyes and giving herself a moment to feel lucky.


	5. June 20 - 27, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Betty and Jughead grow closer, Betty ups her flirting game and Jughead starts to wonder if his feelings are no longer entirely platonic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the support and love you've given to this story! I just found out I was nominated for the Bughead Fanfiction Awards for the college category and I am so humbled and honored! Thanks to whoever nominated me, and to everyone who's read, commented, reblogged, messaged, or given kudos - y'all keep me going!
> 
> Also - sorry for the large gaps between updates. This month has been wildly busy at work and trying to move in addition to splitting my fandom time between this and my Riverdale podcast but I promise there's lots more good stuff ahead, I just can't always promise how fast I'll update. Hope y'all like this latest chapter! Love and hugs, Maria

Wednesday, June 20

Betty walked to class with an extra skip in her step, excited to see Jughead. He had stayed pretty late hanging out at their apartment Sunday night, laughing at Kevin’s antics and remaining next to Betty the entire time. Sitting on the bench swing side by side, Jughead’s arm had brushed Betty’s a few times, and every time Betty had felt it: an electricity that shot up her arm and tinted her cheeks with a light blush. He hadn’t said anything, not even a “sorry,” which Betty counted as a win. He was comfortable enough with her that he didn’t even notice when his arm brushed hers. Considering what Toni had divulged to Betty about Jughead’s romantic history, Betty figured she could count that as a major step forward in their friendship.

When she arrived, Jughead was already seated in his usual spot toward the end of the table. He looked up when she walked in, and she watched a smile spread across his face as they made eye contact. She couldn’t help but blush as she walked toward him, accidentally dropping her backpack onto her seat with a heavy plonk.

Jughead laughed. “Damn, what do you have in there, rocks?”

Betty shook her head, flush continuing to spread across her face and neck as she pulled her notebook and textbook out of the backpack and gingerly placed it on the table. “I’m such a klutz when I’m nervous,” she said, finally sitting down beside Jughead. “And the backpack is heavy because I have work at 4 again.”

“Same with me, but with 3 PM. A small part of me had hoped that asking for the mornings off on Wednesdays would get me a Wednesday completely off, but no dice.”

“They need you, you’re the Superhero Sardonic Barista of our neighborhood!” Betty said in a mocking serious tone. “You have a duty to serve the coffee drinkers of Allston.”

When they had both stopped laughing at Betty’s joke, there was a silence. “So…” Jughead said. “You’re nervous?”

Betty flushed, realizing she’d shown her hand yet again. She could lie and say she was nervous for class, but in reality she was excited, having gobbled up the week’s reading, and genuinely liking the professor. Jughead would see right through that. Plus, he’d always been honest with her. “You sometimes make me nervous,” she finally said, quietly. It was the truth.

Jughead gulped and nodded. “Sorry?” he asked, laughing lightly to break the tension, and rubbing the back of his neck.

Betty shook her head, laughing. “There’s nothing to apologize for, so long as you’re still down to get coffee after class.”

“You know I am,” Jughead said, meeting Betty’s eyes. He could see she was nervous, and he wanted to convey that, as much as Betty’s clear admiration for him should make him nervous too, it didn’t. He felt comfortable around her. More comfortable around her than he thought possible.

“Good. Now, what did you think of today’s reading?” The two launched into a lively discussion, only to be rudely interrupted by the sound of Trev dropping his own heavy backpack onto the empty seat next to Betty. Jughead scowled at him out of the corner of his eye while Betty rolled her eyes.

“Hey, Betty,” Trev said, smirking at her as he took his books out of his bag.

“Hi Trev,” Betty said politely, her voice flat. She tried to turn back to Jughead, but Trev had already launched into a monologue.

“What did you think of the reading for today’s class? I found it to be a little wordy-” Jughead couldn’t help but snort at that. “-but absolutely enlightening. He was really getting at ideas about postcolonial society that feel SO obvious now, but are just so ingrained, I guess we had never seen them before.”

Betty stifled a laugh. How could he say so much yet say so little? “Can’t wait to hear more of your thoughts on that during class,” she said in a clipped tone, turning definitively back toward Jughead to tell him a funny story from work.

Jughead laughed at Betty’s impression of one of her more quirky co-workers and felt an unfamiliar, gleeful tingle in his stomach when he noticed Trev grimacing at him out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt like a tiny victory that Betty Cooper had chosen to talk to him over Trev, even if Trev was a gigantic douchebag.

As class began, Jughead noticed that Betty nudged her chair and notebook closer to him, ensuring Trev couldn’t see the notes she would inevitably scrawl to Jug in the margins. She was an expert at looking like she was paying attention while writing a note, somehow making eye contact with the professor for part of the time she was writing “The kid who always comes in late ACTUALLY said something useful” to Jughead on the side of the page.

Jughead stifled a laugh, glancing over at the still-flustered-looking dude who had arrived late last week as well.

He quickly scrawled back, The bar is soooo low.

The class discussion dragged at first, but by the end, both were so engaged that Jughead even raised his hand twice, a rarity for his reserved and socially awkward self. He definitely didn’t mind Betty’s encouraging smile after his second comment.

“Precisely, Jughead,” the professor said, giving him an acknowledging smile and nod before continuing with his next point.

Betty ducked her head down to write another note. “Superhero Sardonic Barista of Allston, At Your Service. Known to Impress Professors.” She drew a little coffee cup and wrote “JUG” on it before looking up at him with a bashful smile and turning back to the professor.

After class was dismissed, Betty gave Trev no opening to try to talk to her again (if he hadn’t already gotten the hint), immediately turning her back to him so she could ask Jughead if they were still on for coffee.

“I already said yes,” Jughead reminded her, closing his messenger bag and throwing it across his shoulder.

Betty lowered her eyes, feeling the familiar anxiety settling in her stomach. “Sorry,” she said in a quiet tone. “It’s the, uh, anxiety talking. Thinking maybe you’d have changed your mind. Somehow.”

Jughead immediately felt terrible, not meaning to have triggered any sort of extra anxiety for her. He met her eyes and said, “I would never change my mind about having coffee with you. Unless something truly catastrophic happened.”

He sounded so genuine, Betty swore her heart nearly melted. She grinned and tried to jump back into her normal tone she used with Jughead: friendly bordering on flirtatious. “Okay, good. Because I have A LOT of thoughts on today’s class.” She threw her own backpack over her shoulders and led the way out of the classroom.

Outside on the sidewalk, Betty withdrew her wax pen from the pocket of her shorts and pressed the button five times to turn it on. “I definitely need a couple hits,” she explained in an apologetic tone to Jughead before bringing the pen to her mouth and pressing the little button as she inhaled. She exhaled a cloud of white vapor a few seconds later, and Jughead followed its path as it disappeared up toward a sign that prohibited parking on weekdays.

“What exactly is this little gadget?” Jughead asked, looking curiously at the pen as Betty brought it to her mouth again.

“It’s a vape pen, kind of,” she said after finishing her hit. “But instead of putting vape juice in it like people trying to quit cigs do, we load wax into it. Like, concentrated weed, essentially. It’s more powerful and it burns into a vapor rather than a smoke, so it’s way more subtle for taking a hit in public,” Betty explained as they walked toward Betty’s favorite coffee shop near campus.

“Interesting,” Jughead said. “It doesn’t really smell like weed. But it smells like something.”

“Ah, yes,” Betty said, looking at him with a twinkle in her eye, and Jughead noted again that he could always tell when she’d smoked. Her eyes seemed to relax, allowing her to adopt a more playful-looking resting face. She always looked more at peace, more herself. He liked hanging out with her like this. “The more subtle weed smell is also amazing. That’s why I often bring this with me to work instead of my whole flower set-up.” She held open the door to the coffee shop for Jughead as they reached their destination.

“I’m sorry, flower?” Jughead asked, looking over his shoulder at Betty as they got in line at the counter.

“‘Flower’ describes like, the physical weed nugs you see me grind up when you’re at our apartment. Versus wax,” she explained, patting the wax pen bulge in her shorts pocket.

“You stoners have a whole other language,” Jughead said, laughing and looking impressed.

“Welcome to your re-education,” Betty laughed, pausing as Jughead gave the barista his order.

Betty and Jughead found a table in the corner of the half-empty coffee shop and sat with their coffees and pastries. During the school year, the line was usually out the door and every table filled with students gossiping or typing away on their Macs, but in the summer it was more relaxed. Betty liked the vibe in here when it was like this. She had started coming to this particular coffee shop during the school year when she noticed it emptied out in the early evenings, making it an ideal place to get work done for her, and she liked that it maintained this vibe all through the summer. 

“So, what’s been going on with you since I last saw you?” Betty asked, taking a generous sip of her coffee.

Jughead sighed, swiping his hand nervously through his hair. What immediately came to mind was a particularly bad few insomnia days. He’d barely slept since he last saw her. He looked up at Betty’s eager smile as she twirled her stirrer through her coffee and waited for his response. He thought back to Sunday night, feeling so oddly peaceful and content sitting next to Betty on the porch swing. Listening to her open up a bit more about her shitty parents who she’d cut herself off from. It had felt completely natural and right. Like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Maybe it was time to start peeling his own layers back for her, little by little, as painful as it felt for someone else to see a vulnerable part of him laid bare. After all, that’s what he’d always done with his other friends.

“Earth to Jughead,” Betty said in a kind tone. “Where’d you go?”

Jughead shook his head, as if to shake the persistent, worrying thoughts about opening up to other people borne of a childhood that had seemed to punish him every time he allowed himself to feel something. “Sorry,” he said, meeting her eyes. “It’s been a rough couple days. I think I’ve briefly mentioned my…insomnia?” 

Betty’s face relaxed when she realized why he’d hesitated. “Well, your entire aura is kind of a dead giveaway,” she joked. Jughead laughed, appreciating her effort to lighten the mood. She softened her tone and added, “A part of me wondered if the eye bags were part of maintaining your Sardonic Allston Barista aesthetic, but I assumed there was something deeper there. That you would tell me eventually.”

Jughead smiled at the joke and the sentiment. “I think I have my terrible parents to blame for my inability to open up to others who I’m not already close to. Even just friends.”

Betty broke a piece off her scone and popped it in her mouth, nodding thoughtfully. “All your old friends were there for you through it all, though, right?”

Jughead nodded immediately. “Oh, yeah. I’d do anything for them. All of them. Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten here without them. But I guess, they saw what was happening to me every day growing up. It wasn’t the same as having to like, explain it to them. They just knew.”

“Have they been helping you with your...insomnia for awhile?” Betty asked tentatively, trying not to ask too much before he was ready. 

“Ever since it started. High school, really, was when sleep became a…” he searched for the right word. “Challenge.” 

Betty nodded solemnly. “That’s rough. It’s amazing that you were able to land your scholarship here on very little sleep.”

Jughead leaned back in his chair, popping a piece of muffin in his mouth. “Well, there were a lot more waking hours for me to devote to homework, after all.” There was a twinkle in his eye at the end, and Betty laughed.

“You tortured writer, you,” she said. 

“The universe really just WANTS me to be a tortured writer, Betty. I’m just answering its call,” Jughead said, finishing off his muffin.

Betty looked down at the napkin, a look of amused horror on her face. “You eat SO fast. It’s awe-inspiring.”

Jughead smiled back, wincing internally at the thought that his swift eating habits stemmed from many years of unstable meals, conditioning him to demolish what food was available as quickly as possible. He knew all of this was connected to his parents’ addictions and his insomnia, but he could only tell Betty so much at once without imploding. 

“So, you’ve been having bad insomnia nights,” Betty got the conversation back on track. “Does that mean you’ve been getting a lot of work done on your top-secret novel?”

Jughead nodded, grateful at the slight topic shift. “A slight pro to a very tired con, yes. I finished a chapter since I last saw you.”

Betty tipped her coffee cup at him. “Congrats.” She laughed at his incredulous look. “What? You gotta celebrate the little things! That’s what my counselor I see at school makes me do when I’m being too self-critical. Celebrate something small. Like, going a few days without…” She gripped the palms Jughead had long ago noticed that Betty sometimes dug her nails into. He knew better than anyone to keep quiet about others’ coping habits until they opened up themselves.

Jughead nodded. “Another reason you smoke, right?” he asked gently.

Betty nodded enthusiastically. She went to take a sip of coffee but then nearly spit it out, her face lighting up. She grabbed Jughead’s hand from across the table, and he looked up at her, shocked. “You good, Cooper?” he asked, startled at her sudden shift. He noticed one of the baristas giving them a strange look. “You’re scaring people,” he added, turning back to Betty, who looked like she had literal wheels turning in her brain. They both realized at the same time that Betty still had a tight grip on one of his hands, and she withdrew it, a slight blush briefly tinting her cheeks as she continued thinking.

“How could I have not seen it sooner?” she muttered to herself.

Jughead’s eyes widened, but he let the master go to work. “I’ll be here whenever you’re ready to share with the class,” Jughead said, amused, leaning back in his chair.

After thirty more seconds of Betty’s productive silence, she looked straight at Jughead. “You should try weed for your insomnia,” she said, matter-of-factly. Then, she quickly reached her hand across the table to give his hand a brief squeeze. “Or, let me rephrase that. Have you ever considered trying weed for your insomnia?”

Jughead was taken aback, not having expected that at all. He let the thought settle over him. He had really never considered it. His parents’ various escapades involving a cornucopia of illicit substances had always turned him off from the entire range of drugs that his peers indulged in. He had long ago convinced himself that the second he tasted a long swig or breathed in a deep hit, something would be activated in himself and he would begin his own turbulent, Jones-trademarked, downward spiral into addiction. It was his deepest fear. Turning into his parents. Becoming his father. He looked up at Betty, who was fidgeting with her hands and looking very apprehensive.

Unable to contain her own anxiety that she’d said the exact wrong thing, Betty finally burst out, “You totally don’t have to, though! No pressure! I know you said last month that there were a lot of shitty associations with drugs and alcohol in your neighborhood growing up. So I get it. If it’s like, triggering for you. And you just...can’t go there.” She finally let out a breath.

Jughead was, yet again, surprised and impressed by Betty Cooper. She remembered all their conversations, always listened so intently to what he’d said. It was so unique for him to meet someone who was genuinely interested in getting to know who he was, wholly and gradually. She was so patient with him, and he could tell by the way she fidgeted every time he hesitated that patience wasn’t easy for her. That every second that passed must produce new questions in her head about what he could be thinking. His own social anxiety produced similar questions whenever he was at a party, talking to someone unfamiliar. But his social anxiety was slowly fading into the background around Betty, a little more each time they hung out.

“Don’t apologize,” Jughead finally said. “The fact that you remember why it might be a hard decision for me to make really means a lot to me,” he said, holding eye contact. “But it’s an interesting suggestion. I’d really never considered it because of what I told you last month. I always figured I was better off steering clear of all that stuff.” 

Betty chewed thoughtfully on another piece of scone. “That makes sense. Well, in that case, you should think on it first. But know that all the bullshit about weed being a gateway drug is just that...bullshit. Most people I know who smoke weed don’t do anything else. Besides like, alcohol. But me, personally, I greatly prefer smoking to drinking.”

Jughead nodded. “That’s good to know.”

She added, “And the reason I suggested it is because if we got you a strong indica, it’s possible the weed could actually help you get to sleep. Like, I don’t know how much you know about marijuana -”

Jughead interrupted to her. “Little to nothing.”

Betty nodded, appreciating his interjection. “Well, without launching into an entire boring monologue, there are essentially so many different types of weed. And some strains are better for some things than others. There are a whole bunch of strains dedicated to being able to get you to sleep.” She paused to take a sip of her coffee. “I always keep an indica in my room for nights when the anxious thoughts keep me up and I just can’t get myself to settle down. Often, though, having smoked all night quiets those thoughts and lets me get to sleep more naturally than I did before I started smoking. I don’t have hardcore insomnia like it sounds like you do, but...if you’re ever open to it...it could be worth a try?” 

As she finished her little speech, Betty was apprehensive. She searched Jughead’s face for signs of discomfort, struck yet again by how effortlessly attractive he was. He looked pensive, not uncomfortable. Like he was just letting Betty’s words wash over him. However rationally her brain knew she should give him time to process before speaking again, Betty’s anxiety took over anyway, and she blurted out again, “Sorry for the long monologue.”

Jughead grinned and looked up from his thoughts. “Never apologize. Your monologues are great.” He took a final sip of his coffee and made a sad face at the empty cup that made Betty giggle. “And thank you for the suggestion. I definitely need to think about it and maybe do some research of my own, but no one had ever even told me any of that. So I really appreciate it.”

Betty nodded, smiling. “Definitely go to Leafly. L-E-A-F-L-Y. They have great information about all the different weed strains and what they do medically.” 

Jughead laughed. “If I do research, I’m gonna have to text you to tell me that again.”

“Text me any time. As long as I’m not at Urban working for the man, I am here to assist you and guide you on your weed journey,” Betty said.

“My weed guru?” Jughead suggested.

“Seeing as neither of us are Hindu or Buddhist and we’re two white people currently taking a post-colonial studies class…” Betty trailed off.

Jughead nodded, laughing. “You’re right. That’s just...not a good look. My weed guide, then?”

Betty giggled. “That could work. Although, I think I’d prefer Weed Queen. You know, like in Broad City. Ilana Wexler. ‘I am the weed queen!’” She did her best Ilana Glazer impression.

Jughead shook his head. “I’ve never seen that one either.”

Betty looked horrified. “Okay, well as your Weed Queen, Broad City will definitely have to be part of your weed education.”

Jughead laughed again, but then let his expression harden. “In all seriousness,   
though,” he said. “I’m not actually sure yet I want to go to on a weed journey. I’ll definitely think about it, and let you know?”

Betty nodded. “Oh, of course. Take all the time you need. But if and when you’re ready, I am here, ready and willing to shepherd you into the satisfying, warm cocoon of an indica-induced slumber.”

Jughead laughed heartily. “Are you sure you’re not an English major, Cooper?” He grinned at her, and Betty tried not to blush. It did things to her when he called her “Cooper.” 

“Intimidated by my impressive prose?”

“Who wouldn’t be intimidated by Betty Cooper?” he asked, his tone serious, and Betty could barely contain herself.

They sat there, two empty coffee cups and grins on their faces, allowing themselves to settle in the moment. The spell was broken when an alarm on Betty’s phone went off, reminding her to head to Harvard Square to get lunch with Cheryl before their shifts.

“I have to go,” she said, gulping as she maintained eye contact with Jughead and swiftly turned off the alarm.

Jughead broke eye contact to check his phone and nodded. “I should head out too. The man calls us both,” he added, sighing. 

Betty nodded sadly as they both got up, swinging bags over shoulders and throwing away their scraps.

“Good post-coffee sesh,” she said as they stood on the sidewalk, waiting to walk in opposite directions.

“I promise I’ll think about the weed thing,” Jughead said, kicking a pebble on the sidewalk to avoid looking straight at her.

“Awesome. Have a good day at work!” Betty said, and they finally turned away from each other.

As Betty walked toward the train station, she felt an unbelievable tingle in her stomach. She was falling for him, hard. The fact that he was willing to overcome some clearly deep-seated fears of drugs to let her help him in her own way? She hoped she’d been able to contain her swooning in front of him. Every time they hung out, she just felt even more comfortable around him and more certain that they could be something amazing. 

He’d grinned at her, joked with her, written notes to her all through class, hadn’t pulled away when she’d grabbed his hand twice. As she approached the T, she let her mind wander to other places where he might let her touch him, if things progressed. She wanted to run her hands through his hair, trace shapes on his chest. She definitely needed to drink some water before her shift.

On the green line headed back for Allston, Jughead stood holding a pole and thinking hard about everything that had gone down between he and Betty today. Wednesdays were easily becoming one of his favorite days of the week. He loved all his friends, but Betty shared his interests in a way none of them ever had. She always had a comeback ready, could match his sardonic descriptive prose with her own. Just exchanging notes with her in class alone was fun for him. 

And while her suggestion that he try marijuana for his insomnia scared him, he was truly touched that she cared about him enough to be actively thinking of ways to make his life better. There were so few people in his life who thought about him like that, and he was simply awestruck that someone like Betty Cooper would continually turn her green eyes on him. 

That was another thing tugging at him. Her green eyes. He’d noticed them today, as she stared intently at him, waiting to hear his thoughts on her weed proposal. He’d never noticed anyone’s eyes before. Did that mean something? He shook his head, gripping the pole tighter. His body was having emotional overload. Opening up about his insomnia, considering using marijuana for said insomnia, AND noticing something new about his interactions with Betty? Too much for one day. He pushed the thoughts aside and tried to think instead about the day ahead: work, get some dinner, start the next chapter of his novel, try to go to sleep. Probably fail to go to sleep. Continue writing. 

The train continued on toward Allston.

 

Saturday, June 23

It was Saturday evening, and Jughead was perched on a barstool in his apartment, devouring a burrito and laughing at a text from Betty.

BETTY: I was on dressing room duty, and this woman legit didn’t believe me when I told her all the rooms were full and she’d have to wait!

JUGHEAD: Omg. What did she do?

BETTY: She literally SHOVED me aside. And started opening all the curtains! We all saw a kind middle-aged woman’s boobs. Surprisingly perky.

JUGHEAD: lmao who knew working at an Urban Outfitters would produce such hilarious content

BETTY: Honestly, how could it not? I swear, that place is like an alternate universe.

Jughead looked up as he heard the front door to the apartment opening and all his roommates’ voices and laughter trailing down the hall toward him. Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs entered the kitchen holding two pizza boxes.

“Dude! Didn’t you see Toni’s text that we were picking up pizza?” Sweet Pea asked, settling the boxes down on the counter and gesturing toward his nearly-finished burrito.

“Oh yeah! This is just my pre-dinner,” Jughead explained, wiping his mouth with a napkin and grinning.

Sweet Pea let his eyes wander away from the burrito and toward Jughead’s phone, which was still open to Betty’s text, waiting for his response. Sweet Pea’s eyes widened and he grabbed Jughead’s phone so quickly that Jughead didn’t notice what was happening until it was too late.

“Sweet Pea! No!” 

“Texting Betty, are we?” Sweet Pea said, laughing as he walked away, easily holding it up higher than Jughead could reach if he tried.

Toni smirked and settled herself on the stool beside Jughead. “Ooh, that’s nice, Jug,” she said encouragingly, patting him on the shoulder.

Jughead narrowed his eyes at her. “I see the angle you’re playing, Toni. Don’t think you’re subtle.”

Toni laughed. “Neither are you, Jones. Come on, you don’t think you might be starting to fall for her? You two have been texting and hanging a lot.”

Fangs nodded in agreement from where he was getting out plates and silverware as Sweet Pea stood next to the fridge, scrolling through Jughead’s phone. “I noticed too,” Fangs said in a suggestive sing-song.

“Are you reading my texts, Sweet Pea?” Jughead asked, raising his voice and deflecting from Toni and Fangs’ comments.

“This is good stuff, Jug, probably even better than your novel,” Sweet Pea joked, finally giving Jughead the phone back.“She’s seriously exactly the same brand of nerd as you, it’s amazing.” Jughead tucked his phone into his pocket, a grimace on his face. 

Toni nodded enthusiastically. “That’s what I’m saying!” she yelled, opening the pizza box and retrieving a slice.

“We get along really well, I’ve already told you this,” Jughead said, exasperated. He knew deep inside that he was mostly exasperated because he was also curious about his potentially shifting feelings for Betty, but had resolved to push those aside and not deal with them for...awhile. He’d get around to it eventually. His friends were really putting a wrench in his plan to ignore all his emotions.

“Have you noticed yet that she’s a total babe?” Sweet Pea asked, his mouth full of pizza.

“I’ve noticed you should chew with your mouth closed,” Jughead countered, grabbing his own pizza slice.

Toni and Fangs laughed. “It just seems like you’re texting her a lot and that it’s making you happy,” Fangs tried. “And that’s a good sign, don’t you think?”

Jughead sighed and nodded. “Sure, Fangs, I’ll take your olive branch. I agree it’s a good sign and I will continue hanging out with her and seeing where it leads. But no update on my end yet, okay?” He placed a second slice of pizza on his plate and stood up, tucking the barstool into the counter. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to eat my pizza in peace, where I won’t have my privacy invaded.”

After he left the room, Toni laughed. “He has always been the biggest drama queen on the planet. Pouting all the way back to his room. I’m surprised he didn’t slam the door shut.”

Fangs and Sweet Pea laughed. “But that’s why we love our Jones,” Fangs said.

“Seriously, though. I’m not the only one who thinks Jughead seriously has got a crush on Betty, right?” Sweet Pea asked.

“Okay, first of all, shut your mouth when you eat forreal, Sweets,” Toni said. “And second of all, yeah, I think he’s in the beginning stages of his first crush and doesn’t know what it all means.”

“Well, we gave it a good try,” Fangs said. “But we’ll just have to let this all play out.”

The friends all nodded and continued eating their pizza, laughing as Sweet Pea changed the subject to his own escapades with a girl from their neighborhood he was seeing.

 

Sunday, June 24

Betty sighed as she waited for some pasty dude to finish flirting with Veronica so the bartender could take her order. She had come along on Cheryl’s insistence that she not miss the storied Sunday night drinks tradition, but Betty wasn’t having the best mental health weekend. It had been a long week at work, with a few customer incidents that had shaken her. Other than that, she was just overthinking everything that was happening with Jughead and regretting things she’d said, wondering if Jughead had just been acting nice and if she had, in fact, freaked him out. She couldn’t get her mind to stop running when it came to him.

She had been grateful for a Saturday night in watching TV and smoking with Cheryl, punctuated by a few texts from Jughead that she had managed to keep hidden from Cheryl. (Cheryl’s own practically nonstop text exchanges with Toni had certainly helped distract her. But when Betty had suggested she just invite Toni over, Cheryl had looked aghast, putting down her phone, touching Betty gently on the thigh and gushing, “No, Betty. Tonight is BFF girl time. Just you and me.” Cheryl was truly one of a kind.)

Betty would have been happy to sit this night out and have another night in after a grueling morning and afternoon at work, but Cheryl had dragged her along, so here she was.

When she finally returned to the table with her drink, Betty was annoyed to find that the conversation had somehow turned to what was apparently everyone’s favorite subject: Betty and Jughead.

“There she is!” Kevin said, doing a dramatic slow clap. “The lady of the hour. The Betty to the Jughead.”

Betty’s face had a sour expression on it as she dropped into the booth next to Josie and faced all her friends. “How have you vultures managed to arrive at this topic when I wasn’t even at the table?”

“Because y’all are too cute!” Josie gushed.

“We ship it,” Melody added from the end of the table, with Moose nodding enthusiastically next to her.

Betty rolled her eyes and took a big sip of her drink. “Why do I hang out with you all again?”

“Anyway,” Kevin said, giving Betty an annoyed, why-did-you-interrupt-me look that had the whole table erupting in laughter. “Toni tells us you two have been texting A LOT. Do tell.” He rested his head in his hands and turned his attention fully on Betty in the most dramatic fashion possible.

Betty looked up, as if to plead with God. “Why me?” she cried.

“We care about you, dear Betty! We want you to be happy,” Cheryl said from across the table where she was practically sitting in Toni’s lap. Toni nodded enthusiastically at Cheryl’s comment.

“...and we want you to RIDE. THAT. DICK!” Moose yelled, causing Melody, Valerie, Kevin, and Josie to whoop and holler.

Betty’s face reddened and she threw her head in her hands. “Why me?” she cried again. “I have the most embarrassing friends in the universe.”

“Hey, this is what happens when you’re the last virgin standing, B. We have an obligation to hype you up as much as possible,” Cheryl tried.

Betty sighed and decided to try to push past her anxiety to fill her friends in. She knew deep down that they were genuinely happy for her and doing it all out of love. “Alright, so we have been texting a lot. And getting coffee after every class we have together so far. The conversation just flows really easily, and we always have fun together.” She blushed. “I don’t know if anything has changed on his end, but I’m definitely really into him.” Everyone ooh’d.

“I have noticed a much smaller influx of memes and articles from Jughead over the last couple weeks, Betty,” Toni said. “I’m guessing they’ve been going to you instead?”

Betty nodded and blushed, and everyone whooped. Thankfully, Betty was saved when one of the dartboards opened up and Moose, Kevin, and Valerie, who had been dying to have a rematch since Valerie’s upset win last Sunday, clambered to their feet to claim it.

Later, Toni came outside to find Betty sitting on the curb near the bar, smoking a joint by herself and playing Frank Ocean from her phone. 

She cleared her throat to signal her presence. Betty looked up and smiled. “Can I join you?” Toni asked quietly.

Betty nodded and patted the curb beside her and Toni sat down, accepting the joint that Betty immediately passed.

“Having a good night?” Betty asked timidly. She realized as they sat smoking that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d smoked alone with Toni. She may never have before.

“I am. Are you?” Toni asked, giving her a knowing look as she passed the joint back.

“Not really,” Betty said, laughing and exhaling a large cloud of smoke. “It’s been a rough weekend in general. Just, bad anxiety,” she explained, fidgeting a bit with her fingers and taking another, deeper hit and blowing it out slowly. Her eyes relaxed as she felt herself hit a new level of stoned.

Toni let Betty smoke in comfortable silence. The way she smoked was very ritualistic, even more so than she’d noticed Cheryl’s smoking was. Toni watched Betty’s eyes float closed as she took another hit. Betty truly was beautiful. Her blonde hair was up in its usual ponytail and her face looked calmer but still worn, her make-up long smudged off from the heat and the long work day. Yet, she still looked flawless. No wonder this was the girl Jughead was clearly harboring his first romantic feelings for.

Betty opened her eyes and passed the joint to Toni, grinning. 

“What?” Toni asked. “Whatcha smiling about?” She nudged her friend on the shoulder.

“Now that it’s just the two of us...what were you saying to everyone about Jughead and me texting a lot?”

“Oh, just...I don’t know. I’ve caught him texting you in the apartment a couple times. I didn’t say all this to everyone else, but...I see this smile on his face when he’s talking to you that I don’t think I recognize. Like, maybe it’s just for you,” Toni said, taking another hit. “Okay, I’m definitely stoned,” she said, coughing and laughing as she let out a large cloud.

Betty’s face had flushed immediately at Toni’s comment, and she couldn’t help the huge smile that covered her face. “Wow,” she said aloud, taking in Toni’s words and accepting the J from Toni.

“I just have a good feeling about you two. As long as you’re willing to be patient, which you clearly are,” Toni said.

“I appreciate that, Toni,” Betty said. “And you don’t think all of this is freaking him out?” She pointed back toward the bustling bar. “Like, you don’t think he knows that our entire friend group is cheering this on obnoxiously?”

“Well, he knows that me, Sweet Pea, and Fangs are annoying him endlessly about it and he hates it as much as you hate your friends torturing you about it,” Toni said, and Betty burst out laughing.

“Okay, good to know it’s not just me,” Betty said. “It’s just so much pressure. On something that I can’t control! I don’t want him to think I’m pressuring him, or that this has to work. Like, if he doesn’t feel anything for me, I can’t ask him to feel something he just...doesn’t. You know?”

Toni smiled. “You’re the best. Don’t worry, I really don’t think he feels any pressure from you at all. He doesn’t know about your friends hyping you up constantly, and don’t worry, I’ll never tell him. I know I’m invited to these things as an honorary member because of Cheryl, and I would never betray your trust.” 

Betty gave Toni a genuinely touched look and ashed the joint out so she wouldn’t light Toni’s pink hair on fire as she gave Toni a hug. “I’m so glad you and Cheryl found each other,” she said as she released her and relit the joint. 

Cheryl came outside to find her two favorite girls sitting on the curb and stopped when she saw them passing the joint and laughing. She secretly took a photo, smiling. She was so happy her best friend and girlfriend were getting along so well. She finally came up to them and said, “Can I get a hit, babes?”

They both cheerfully shrieked, “Cheryl!” and held out their arms for hugs.

“Oh my God, I need to get on both your levels of stoned,” Cheryl said, embracing them both and taking a long hit off the joint. Toni and Betty scooted so Cheryl could sit between them.

“Listen, Betty,” Toni said. “Jughead is gonna be so lucky when he wakes up one day and realizes he’s totally falling for you.”

 

Tuesday, June 26

Betty woke up early for her usual second alarm and frowned at her phone, wondering why her first alarm hadn’t gone off at its usual time. She stretched her arms and remembered: it was actually her day off! Giddy with the possibilities of what she could achieve on her one day off after seven days on, Betty decided to seize the day. She pushed herself out of bed and padded into the kitchen, careful to remain quiet for Cheryl and Toni, who she’d heard up giggling until at least 2 AM.

Betty made a pot of coffee and sat cross-legged at the table, drinking her coffee, reading the YA novel she was currently devouring, and smoking her bowl intermittently. By the time she finished her first cup of coffee, her stomach began to grumble and it immediately popped into her mind: pancakes. She’d actually have time to make something that required...well, time. Betty giggled at her own redundant sentence.

“God, I need a boyfriend to tell my high thoughts to,” she said quietly aloud, knowing that Cheryl and Toni were no doubt fast asleep in Cheryl’s room down the hall. She immediately thought of Jughead, the last time she’d seen him when they’d gotten coffee after last week’s class. Nearly a week, and yet she couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d called her “intimidating” with an impressed look on his face, had opened up to her a little bit more about his insomnia. He’d complimented her diction! If anything coming out of Jughead’s mouth was going to be considered flirting, that HAD to be it. At least she figured. 

She thought about sitting opposite Jughead at the table, watching him scarf his cinnamon scone down. Watching his blue eyes intently pierce hers, always so carefully listening to what she was saying. It was like Jughead chose a select number of people to even look at, but once he picked one he gave his full attention to them. Noticed everything. When she’d referenced her palms for the first time to him that day, his eyes looked gentle and unsurprised, like he had already noticed and was waiting to hear it from her. She pictured him laughing and tossing a piece of cinnamon scone in his mouth. Betty took a big hit and then stood up. She knew what she was gonna make.

About an hour later, Cheryl and Toni stumbled out of Cheryl’s room and into the kitchen to find Betty setting a plate of hot cinnamon scones and a stack of chocolate chip pancakes onto the table. “Good morning!” she called brightly.

“Did you wake and bake again, Betty?” Cheryl asked, smirking as she went into the kitchen to help grab silverware. 

“I waked and baked..and then baked some more,” she said and all three of them laughed as they sat around the table.

“What are you up so early for, Betty?” Toni asked as she took a generous bite of pancakes.

“It’s just finally my day off and I wanted to get my day started early! My days off are so few and far between, I need to get as much out of them as I can,” she explained.

Toni touched the cover of Betty’s book she’d left on the table. “Like doing some light summer reading?”

Betty rolled her eyes. “Apparently Jughead is the only one around here who agrees that the summer is a great opportunity to read for pleasure without so much assigned reading to do!”

Toni and Cheryl both laughed. “You’re right, Toni. They’re made for each other,” Cheryl said.

“Actually, Sweet Pea’s precise quote was ‘She’s the exact same brand of nerd as you.’” Toni said, smirking and taking a bite of a scone.

Betty blushed and sipped her coffee. “I mean, I can’t really argue with that. ANYWAY,” she looked pointedly up at Cheryl and Toni. “What are you two up to today?”

“Working,” Cheryl said, making a pouty face. “But we’re both working day shifts at least so we’re gonna hit the movies tonight.”

“We haven’t been on a proper date in awhile, so I’m taking my girl out,” Toni explained, grabbing Cheryl’s hand from across the table.

Betty put her hand on her chest. “You two are too cute,” she said. She paused for a second, letting them have their moment. Once they’d resumed eating she casually added, “Any idea what Jughead’s up to today, Toni?”

Toni paused mid-pancake bite to gawk at Betty. She set her silverware down, crossed her hands on the table, and stared at her. “You have gotten bold, Betty Cooper. Did something happen between you two?”

Betty blushed even more scarlet than before. “No, no, nothing like that. I just haven’t seen him since we got coffee after class last week,” she said, trying to sound casual.

Toni shook her head, laughing. “You two are hopeless. I’m honestly not sure what his schedule is, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’s working.” She winked at Betty and the three of them continued eating. As Cheryl changed the subject to what movie they should see, the wheels were already turning in Betty’s mind.

\---

Around noon, Betty was sitting alone in the apartment. Having showered, cleaned her room, and read some more, she knew that responsibly she should finish up the last 10 pages of reading for the next day’s class. She figured this would be a good time to put the plan she’d concocted at breakfast into motion: just casually drop by the coffee shop to do the rest of her homework. After all, she needed a change of scenery and the place Jughead worked had always been one of her go-to Allston study spots before they became...friends, or whatever label fit this exciting, flirtatious friendship they had going.

Betty packed and smoked a quick bowl to quiet the million worst-case scenarios that were running through her head and put her notebook and reading into her backpack. With one last look at herself in the mirror, she headed out in the hopes of getting some homework help from her favorite barista in Allston.

Jughead was on register duty, giving a customer her change when he heard the bell on the door ding. He did a double take when his usual glance at the door revealed that Betty Cooper had just walked in. She met his eyes and gave him a wink before getting in line behind the two girls about to walk up to the counter. He refocused himself on his customers and quickly got their drink orders moved along to his co-worker before it was Betty’s turn to come up to the counter.

“Hey, stranger,” Betty said, smiling goofily, and Jughead could immediately tell she was a little stoned.

“What brings you here?” he asked, a grin spreading across his face before he could even help it.

“Just wanted a change of scenery to do the rest of my reading for tomorrow’s class,” Betty said. “I’ll have a medium iced coffee, by the way.”

Jughead started ringing her up and took his time after ensuring there was no one waiting behind Betty. “Still haven’t finished the reading yet, Betty? Tsk, tsk. I’ve been done for days.”

Betty smiled at his teasing, eager to play along. “Well then, maybe I’ll just have to stick close to the counter so you can help me,” she said, swallowing afterward. Had she been too forward? Had her stoned self taken over and crossed whatever line they were dancing between friends and the possibility of something more? 

Jughead gulped internally on his end at the flirtatious comment, but kept his cool. He gestured toward the barstools along the barista counter to his right. “Tuesdays are pretty slow. I could always do a little tutoring on the side.” He crossed his arms across his chest and laughed at the horrified look on Betty’s face at the mere suggestion she might need a tutor. “By the way, you owe me $3.50.” 

Betty gave him exact change and settled herself on one of the stools, taking out her book and notebook as Jughead grabbed Betty her coffee himself. “Do you take cream and sugar?”

“A splash of cream and one sugar?” she asked. “Or are you guys self service?” She looked over at the containers of milk and sugar packets on the small counter by the door.

“For my favorite customer, I’ll do it,” Jughead said cheekily, quickly adding the cream and sugar himself and setting in front of her. Betty noticed that his co-worker had immediately picked up on the situation and switched to cash register duty. 

“Such service!” 

“So, where are you at in the reading?” Jughead asked, leaning his elbow on the counter so he was facing her directly. Betty tried not to blush at the eye contact and how close his body was to hers. Could he actually be flirting back? She wasn’t sure if he was even doing it consciously but she was rolling with it.

They started delving into the reading, with Jughead providing his very apt analysis on the chapter and Betty teasing him mercilessly. They’d been completely focused on the reading and each other for five minutes when Jughead’s co-worker cleared his throat pointedly. Jughead looked up to see a line about three people deep forming behind the counter and he noticed a couple coffee cups adorned with hastily-scribbled Sharpie names waiting expectantly for him to fill them. “I’ll be right back,” he said sheepishly to Betty, getting up to quickly get back to his job. A slight blush tinted his face as he switched gears and filled the orders waiting for him as if on autopilot. 

Meanwhile, his mind was racing and his heart beating fast from when his co-worker had interrupted he and Betty. It occurred to him that his co-worker almost certainly thought he was flirting with Betty. The other people in the coffee shop probably thought that too. Did Betty think that? Had HE thought that? Teasing Betty and talking about their thoughts on an intellectual topic seemed to come naturally to him. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he knew he was entirely swept up in Betty’s orbit now, whether as just friends or as potentially something more.

For the next hour of the lunch rush, Jughead was swamped. Betty sat in her spot on the counter, diligently taking notes in the margin of the reading and occasionally looking up to lock eyes with Jughead. They had a silent conversation with their eyes when one of the more entitled college types made a huge fuss over there not being any half-and-half left, even as Jughead rushed to fill it immediately. Betty’s eyes darted at him apologetically, with an eye roll added in for good measure. Jughead’s eyes seemed to shrug back at her. What are you gonna do? It’s all part of the job.

Finally, the cafe seemed to settle down and Jughead’s co-worker went on his lunch break, after pressing Jughead on whether he’d be good to focus on the entire cafe with his “friend” here. Jughead winced at the use of air quotes as he insisted quietly that he would be fine. Oh yes, his co-worker had certainly confirmed that he thought Jughead was into Betty. He hoped Betty hadn’t heard any of it.

After doing a quick scan to ensure there were no customers who needed help, Jughead came back toward Betty, but this time facing toward the door as he talked to her so he wouldn’t get completely lost in their conversation. As Sweet Pea would say, “exact same brand of nerd.”

Betty was scrolling through her phone when he rested his elbow back on the counter in front of her, and she looked up, smiling. “You are one busy barista,” she said.

“Seems like the quiet after the storm now, though,” he said, gesturing around the sparsely occupied coffee shop. He looked down at her closed book and pages of notes. “You finish the reading, I assume?”

“It was easier to focus while you were otherwise occupied,” she said. 

“Hey, now, are you saying I’m a distraction? I take great offense,” Jughead said, placing his hand on his chest in mock outrage.

Betty giggled. “If you weren’t on the clock I would take you up on more of your hot takes on the reading. But after all, I’ll be privileged enough to hear them tomorrow.”

“You’re right,” he said, leaning forward a bit and getting more comfortable after another scan of the coffee shop. “Let’s talk about something else.”

Betty rested her fist under her chin and leaned forward toward him, excited. “Sure, what do you want to talk about?”

He leaned back slightly. “How about...your sister? You haven’t told me much about her.”

Betty smiled at the thought of her strong, independent, and caring sister. “Where to even begin?” she said. “She’s absolutely amazing. When she got pregnant in high school, it was with her boyfriend who my parents absolutely hated. He was like, an artist, and they wanted to go live on some hippie commune together after they graduated from high school.”

Jughead looked taken aback at that, and Betty giggled. “I know, it’s hard to see me having a hippie sister, right?”

“I don’t know, you ARE a stoner, after all. It might fit,” Jughead said, laughing.

“Well, anyway, she’s not as much of a hippie anymore. Life beat it out of her. She’s a year older than us, and she got pregnant in high school. Her kids are about to start first grade in the fall.”

Jughead nodded. “I remember you saying she was a single mom. That’s hard work.” He paused. “What happened with the boyfriend then?”

Betty’s face darkened and she looked down at her palms. Jughead followed her eyes, hoping she wouldn’t press her nails into them because of the question he’d asked. But she looked back up at Jughead without digging her nails in, and said, “It’s so sad. He died in a car accident only a couple months after the twins were born.”

Jughead gulped. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“It sucked,” Betty said, laughing shakily. “He was really great, and he was totally going to be a great dad. They were living in this shitty apartment just to get away from my parents, both working hard to make ends meet, and then suddenly it was all on her. My parents wanted her to abort the babies or give them up for adoption originally, and they just...like, they always do, they went too far in trying to control my sister. So she’s never accepted any of their help, even after her boyfriend died.”

“Damn,” Jughead said. “That’s really rough.”

“Yeah, it was. I stayed with my parents long enough to graduate from high school so my education wouldn’t be interrupted, and then I got out of there. Took everything important to me and have barely talked to them since I was eighteen.” She looked up at Jughead, meeting his solemn eyes. 

“Wow. You both are really admirable,” he said after a beat. “Doing what you have to in order to keep that energy out of your life?”

She nodded. “That’s the goal. Stoner Betty Takes On the World,” she said, laughing, to lighten the mood. 

Jughead laughed too, and grabbed her empty coffee cup. “Do you want another? On the house.”

Betty smiled. “Should I have more caffeine today? I feel like that’s a trick question.”

“Can you really ever have too much coffee?” Jughead asked. Betty narrowed her eyes at him and he laughed. “Okay, maybe you can. But I’ll make it a small one.”

Betty nodded. “Okay, you got me. I’m gonna run to the bathroom. Watch my stuff.” 

As he watched her get up and walk toward the bathroom, he noticed one of the girls sitting at a table near the counter was watching him with a knowing smirk on her face. He looked away quickly, grabbing a small coffee cup to make Betty’s coffee. He tried to ignore all the Betty-related thoughts. He was at work. This was neither the time nor the place to start trying to untangle the mysterious web of what was happening between him and Betty Cooper.

Betty returned to the counter to find her cup of coffee already waiting for her as Jughead helped a customer at the counter. She sipped it and watched him, admiring how toned his arms looked in his work clothes: a rolled up dress shirt with an apron over it. He had such kind but tired eyes, and she almost felt jealous to even watch him interacting with other human beings. She wanted as much time with him as she could get, wanted to make him train those eyes on her and only her. 

A few seconds later, as he finished up with a customer, she got her wish as he turned back around and flashed her a funny face. She giggled as he made his way back to her to make a quiet joke about the customer who had just left. She listened intently, laughing almost embarrassingly hard at his observations. She had seriously fallen hard, and was holding on to any sign that he might be starting to feel the same way back.

 

Wednesday, June 27

Less than twenty-four hours after they had hung out during Jughead’s shift, Betty and Jughead found themselves sitting across from each other at the same table as the week before at Betty’s favorite coffee shop near campus.

They’d had a really good class, and had already debriefed everything that had happened extensively. The class had been divided into two teams to debate two arguments from the reading. Betty and Jughead had been on the same team, and practically annihilated the other team’s argument, very in tune based on the in-depth conversation they’d had about the reading at Jughead’s work the day before. They truly worked well together.

“It’s starting to feel like we only see each other with coffee cups in our hands,” Betty joked, smiling at Jughead as he scarfed down the chocolate croissant he’d bought at Betty’s insistence after he admitted he’d never had one from this particular cafe. Betty swore by them, and had made him get up to get another one.

“We’ll have to change that up sometime. You know, diversify our hang-outs,” Jughead said tentatively, looking up at Betty hesitantly.

Betty gulped before blurting out, “Are you coming to the house show this weekend?”

Jughead took a sip of coffee and shrugged. “What house show?”

“You know how Josie, Melody, and Valerie have a band called Josie and the Pussycats?” Jughead nodded. “They’re having a big summer house show at Kevin and Moose’s place they share with a bunch of jock dudes. Their house shows are always so fun, and I know Toni said she was gonna try to get all of you to come along.”

Jughead nodded, panicking a little immediately at the idea of being at a party. People he didn’t know and an array of substances he didn’t want to partake in? Usually not a recipe for a fun night for him. Betty looked apprehensive at his reaction, watching him closely. “I guess Toni hasn’t gotten a chance to mention it to me yet, because this is the first I’m hearing of it,” Jughead said.

“Well, I’d love to be able to hang with you there,” Betty said quickly. “Parties aren’t always my favorite either, but the Pussycats’ music is seriously amazing, and since it’s Kevin and Moose’s apartment, I know all the best chill spots to go hide when it gets to be too much.” She blushed a little at that, as her mind wandered to things they could do in one of the many secluded corners of the giant party house. But she needed to slow her roll. She was asking him to come as friends, she reminded herself.

Jughead smiled. “Now you’re speaking my language.” Although he hated parties, the idea of working his way around a party with Betty, making fun of everyone around them? It didn’t sound like a half-bad way to spend a night. “Which night is it?” he asked. 

“Saturday,” Betty said. “Are you working?”

“Only until 6 PM, so I should be able to make it.” Betty looked taken aback but excited at his “yes.” He was surprised even at himself at how quickly he’d agreed to put himself in a situation he would otherwise dread. Something inside him, like a little voice in the back of his mind, had instinctually said yes when the outcome involved spending more time with Betty’s green eyes trained on him.

Betty clapped her hands together. “Yay, can’t wait. It’s going to be so fun. Anyway...what else are you up to this week?”

And with that, they immediately fell back into the routine they’d created for themselves: as friends or some flirtatious in-between, neither of them seemed to know at this point. Jughead gave a very vague update on his writing process and grumbled about his inability to sleep. Betty joked with him about continuing to think about smoking weed for that. Jughead asked about Polly and she showed him the cute photo Polly had sent of the twins down the shore the previous weekend. For a full hour more, they sat there talking and laughing before they both had to move on to their next obligation for the day. Both felt fully and completely in the moment, lost in their conversation. If not for the alarms both had set on their phones, it was entirely conceivable that they could have sat there like that all day.

\---

And it was this that Jughead was thinking about late that night when he couldn’t sleep. He was still trying to figure out what had made him say yes so readily, so easily, when Betty had asked him to come to the house show. He wanted to spend time with Betty, yes. He had started noticing her eyes, yes. He had become more comfortable being close to her lately, yes. Even by himself in bed in the dark, willing himself to sleep, he could feel his face flush. Jughead could rationally see that when it came to Betty, the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to see her again. 

He thought back to the day before, at the immediate mood shift he’d felt when he’d looked up to see her entering the coffee shop. How nice it had been to see her sitting there throughout his shift, shooting him looks and eyebrow raises. Dealing with the usual party scene just hadn’t sounded quite as treacherous and nerve-wracking when he pictured walking through it all with Betty at his side, with all her side comments and knowing looks. He knew she’d find a quiet place for them to go if he got too overwhelmed. 

Jughead ran his hands through his hair and got to his feet. Sleep clearly wasn’t coming. He went to his desk and opened his laptop, returning to the old document in which he’d started writing down everything he’d felt about Betty since that fateful night they’d all hung out at Cheryl and Betty’s. 

He wrote:

All I know is, that when I’m with her, I feel pretty wholly myself. I never think she’s going to judge me. When I saw her in the coffee shop the other day, it made me happy. I felt safe.

He paused and blushed at what he’d wrote. It was maybe, sort of, kind of possible this was what a crush looked like, right? He’d never had one before, but he also knew he’d definitely never written about a girl this much before. Or just...anyone. He was too nervous to talk to anyone about it yet, though, this much he knew. He would keep it to himself for awhile, make sure these feelings were going to stick and weren’t just him getting caught up in the fantasy of a good friendship turning into something more. 

He thought back to Betty’s face earlier that day in the coffee shop, the excited and nervous look when she’d said, “Are you coming to the house show?”

Weeks ago, he could picture himself scoffing, making some sardonic joke, and getting out of the social commitment in mere minutes. A well-practiced Jughead response. 

He heard her voice saying it again: “Are you coming to the house show?”

Well, he thought, leaning back in his desk chair. He certainly was now.


	6. June 30 - July 4, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s a good ol’ Allston house show, headlined by none other than Josie and the Pussycats! And the tension between Betty and Jughead becomes almost too obvious to avoid, at least for much longer...
> 
> I really tried to capture how long a college night out can feel in this fic, let me know if you think I did it justice!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyone’s patience between updates! This summer has been really busy on the personal side for me, but I’ve been thinking about this story on the subway constantly. Hopefully I will update a lot faster this time. Please comment if you enjoyed, would love to hear what you all thought! Thanks so much to everyone who's reading this story, your encouragement means everything and keeps me going. Xoxo, Maria

Saturday, June 30

Jughead stood in front of his mirror, staring at his dark jeans and black t-shirt emblazoned with a red “S.” He ran a hand nervously through his hair and continued staring at the reflection, although he was unsure what he was looking for. Most of his other outfit options involved the same pieces in different dark hues. What he was really nervous about was spending a night at this party with Betty in light of the maybe, sort of, crush he seemed to be developing on her. He was worried that he’d suddenly become tongue-tied or…

“Finish getting ready, bitches!” Toni’s voice ripped through his thoughts from the hallway. “Cheryl is on the way to pick us up from the bus stop,” she added, this time from outside his door.

“Be there in a sec,” Jughead said, running his hand through his hair one last time and then heading out to the kitchen where Fangs was standing waiting, wearing a black fishnet tank top and dark shorts. Jughead internally laughed. Last time he’d gotten drunk, Fangs had admitted to Jughead that every time he slept with a woman, he wore an extra gay-looking outfit the next time he went out, as if to remind everyone he was still bi. “I know it’s weird, but it’s fun,” Fangs had said, shrugging and laughing. 

“Ever think about mixing it up a little, Jones?” Fangs teased now, looking his outfit up and down.

Jughead laughed. “I’ll leave it to you, Fangs, honestly.”

The doorbell rang, and Toni came running down the hall yelling, “coming!” and “Sweet Pea, I swear if you’re not ready when I get back in here with Cheryl, we’re leaving without you!” 

Jughead and Fangs heard the door open and a long silence that meant Cheryl and Toni were almost certainly making out, before the couple finally entered the kitchen. 

“Hello, boys,” Cheryl said, surveying their get-ups with a nod of approval. She was wearing a typical Cheryl ensemble, a see-through short-sleeved black top with red flowers with cherry-red high-waisted shorts to match.

“You look amazing, Cheryl,” Fangs said.

“I always dress my best for a Pussycats show!” Cheryl declared. “Have y’all seen them perform before?”

“They haven’t, babe,” Toni said. “I’ve been telling them they’re in for an amazing performance.”

Cheryl looked around the kitchen. “Is Sweet Pea coming?”

Jughead smirked. “He still has yet to emerge. Probably still coiffing his hair.”

Everyone laughed at the accuracy, and Toni yelled, “Sweet Pea! Seriously, we have to get to Cheryl and Betty’s before we help set up!”

Sweet Pea’s door finally opened, and he emerged wearing his typical leather jacket and a black tee with dark jeans. 

“Really, the leather jacket? It’s June,” Jughead said, facepalming.

“Also, it took you that long to put together an outfit that simple?” Fangs added, shaking his head.

Cheryl and Toni laughed. “Let’s hit the road, boys!” Toni declared and they all headed toward Cheryl and Betty’s.

“So, Betty should be finishing getting ready,” Cheryl explained, turning around slightly as they walked to make sure Jughead could hear her. “She went ahead without me after we got off the bus from work. I wanted to pick up my TT so I got ready in the bathroom before I left the restaurant.” Cheryl bumped Toni’s hip with her own.

Toni gave Cheryl a quick kiss, and Jughead said dryly, “Thanks for the play-by-play, Cheryl.”

Cheryl tilted her head toward him again as she said, “Excited to hang out with Betty tonight, Jughead?”

Sweet Pea and Fangs offered their own “oohs.” 

Jughead rolled his eyes. “You are all so annoying.”

“So I hear from Betty. I only tease,” Cheryl said, turning back to Toni to gush about her shift at the restaurant, leaving Jughead to stew in his nervousness until they reached the apartment.

Cheryl unlocked the door and immediately led everyone into the kitchen to grab a first drink, which Jughead found ridiculous, knowing they were arriving at Kevin and Moose’s early to pre-game. There was no sign of Betty in the living room. Feeling brave, Jughead walked gingerly down the hall toward where he knew Betty’s room was, having passed it before on his way to the bathroom. He found the door ajar, revealing Betty standing at her mirror, wearing a short-sleeved black dress with pink flowers and a plunging neckline. She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup, her royal blue mini bong sitting next to her make-up on her vanity.

Jughead gave a light knock on the door so as not to startle her completely, and she turned, her face lighting up when she saw it was Jughead. “Hey, you!” she said, opening her door completely and beckoning him inside. 

“I’m just finishing getting ready,” Betty said, turning her back to him to grab lipstick and apply it quickly.

Jughead stood against her bed and watched. “So, you ready for a night of watching our peers make some really unfortunate decisions?”

“How many people do you think we’ll watch puke tonight?” Betty asked as she capped her lipstick and threw it in her make-up bag before picking up her bong.

“We should definitely take bets,” Jughead said, smirking and folding his arms.

Betty turned around to finally face him, bong in hand, and smiled. “In that case, we should also take bets on whether anyone will get in a fight.”

“Or end up crying outside, waiting for an Uber to take them home.”

“Ooh, getting specific, and I like it,” Betty teased. She took a hit and blew away from Jughead. “I’m sure we can find a dark corner to write up a complete list,” she added, lowering her voice.

Jughead locked eyes with her. She was definitely flirting, but he didn’t feel the urge to make her stop. He wanted to follow his urge to play along tonight, and see how it felt. “Sounds like the only way to survive a party,” he lowered his voice. "You know all the dark corners, right?” 

Betty’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected Jughead to flirt back so obviously. Gulping slightly, she said, “Yeah, I know ALL of them.”

A knock at the wall next to the door startled both of them slightly. “Hey there, friends,” Sweet Pea said in a teasing tone from the doorway, a smug look on his face after having caught Betty and Jughead staring intently at each other. “Would you two like to join the rest of the class now? We’re pregaming in the living room.”

“Aren’t we helping set up?” Jughead asked.

“Yeah, aka we’re pregaming at the party house. You’re really gonna pregame the pregame?” Betty asked, her hand on her hip as she shared a disgusted look with Jughead.

Sweet Pea looked taken aback, throwing his hands up in surrender. “Damn, you two are scary when you’re on the same team. Maybe this is a bad idea for all of us.” Winking, he walked back down the hall toward the living room before either could answer.

Betty and Jughead looked at each other, both their faces flushing. Betty gulped and said, “I mean, he’s right. We make a great team.”

Jughead nodded, allowing a slight smile to warm his face. “We did absolutely wreck the other team in class the other day.”

Betty smiled at the memory and then nodded in the direction of the living room. “Shall we join these heathens? Even if we think the pre-pre-game is absolutely ridiculous.”

As they walked down the hall, Jughead joked, “Knowing you, you’re gonna smoke whatever they’re smoking.”

Betty turned around, placing a hand on her chest in mock outrage and holding up the mini bong that was still in her hand. “I’m honestly insulted...that you don’t think I would start my own bowl.”

They both laughed as they entered the living room, causing Cheryl and Toni to raise their eyebrows at the duo from where they were sipping ciders in the kitchen. “There you two are!” Cheryl said cheerily. “Anyone want to smoke a bowl before we head out?”

“Great minds think alike,” Betty said, opening their communal weed jar and getting to work grinding up a nug. Jughead sat himself down on the couch next to Fangs, who was pounding back his cider quickly.

“How’s it going, Jughead?” Fangs asked quietly, glancing over at Betty, who was laughing with Cheryl, Toni, and Sweet Pea as she re-packed her bong.

“Good,” Jughead said, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. 

“You think you’ll spend most of the night with Betty?” Fangs asked, keeping his volume low enough that Sweet Pea wouldn’t hear, which Jughead appreciated.

Jughead glanced at Betty himself. She was taking a deep hit now, before passing to Sweet Pea with a teased “can you handle this, big guy?” Jughead couldn’t help but smile at her taunt. He loved that Betty could outsmoke his tall, hulking best friend, and that she owned it. He turned to Fangs, and said simply, “Yes.”

Cheryl came to sit down on the other side of Fangs, passing him the bong, with Toni perching herself on the arm of the couch next to her. 

“You’re not smoking as usual, Jones, right?” Fangs asked, getting up to pass the bong to Betty.

Betty shared a raised eyebrow with Jughead, but he shook his head. “Jughead’s not ready to start his weed journey yet,” Betty said, answering for him with a smile. “But none of you have to worry. If and when he does, I’ve already been assigned his weed queen.”

Jughead flushed at that, knowing that Sweet Pea would certainly tease him endlessly about this when they got home. Betty was raising her eyebrows at him again, challenging him to play along, as she passed the bowl to Sweet Pea.

“It’s true,” Jughead said, putting his hands up in surrender. “Betty thinks it might help with my insomnia, so I’m mulling it over.”

Toni gasped. “Wow, I had never thought of that! Betty, you are too fucking smart.”

“Isn’t she? She truly is the weed queen,” Cheryl said, smiling proudly.

Betty mock-flipped her hair, and everyone laughed. 

“Bowl’s dead,” Cheryl said as the bong was passed to her. “Everyone ready to head out?”

The group got up, everyone fixing themselves one last time and grabbing bags and purses. Cheryl locked the door behind them, and the group headed toward Kevin and Moose’s, only a ten minute walk from Betty and Cheryl’s.

“So, have any of you been to Kevin and Moose’s party house before?” Cheryl asked, looking back at Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead. Toni had tagged along with their crew plenty of times. The three boys all shook their heads no.

“You are in for an experience,” Cheryl said, emphasizing the last word. Toni and Betty both nodded, laughing.

Jughead tensed. That couldn’t mean anything good for him. Betty was walking beside him, and she reached out her hand to squeeze his. He looked over at her, and she shot him a look that seemed to say, “I got you.”

Jughead nodded as she released his hand. Everyone else had become engaged in Toni’s story about the first time Cheryl had taken her to a Pussycats house show, allowing Betty and Jughead to fall behind everyone else. 

Betty leaned in toward him and said quietly, “Don’t forget what I said about dark corners. I know them all. We can escape the madness.”

Jughead said, “You really are a queen in more ways than one.”

Betty blushed. “What a compliment,” she said, her smile reaching her eyes.

Jughead blushed too. The things that were coming out of his mouth tonight so far sounded more forward out loud than they did in his head. But he’d meant all of them so far; whatever that meant in the grander scheme of things he wasn’t sure.

As they approached the party house, Sweet Pea and Fangs fell behind with Jughead, all slightly apprehensive at not being close friends with the hosts. All of them rarely went to parties at all, and the ones they did go to tended to be in their old neighborhood, hosted by people they’d known their entire lives. Cheryl and Betty led the way to the front door, knocking after explaining that the doorbell had been broken for six months. The door opened to reveal Reggie, one of Kevin and Moose’s roommates. He gave off the aura of someone who had always been a jock. 

“Hellooo ladies!” Reggie said in a flirtatious voice. It sounded less unnatural on him than it felt on Jughead, Jughead thought to himself. He tensed as Reggie immediately moved to embrace Betty.

“Hey, Reggie,” Betty said politely, smiling and accepted the hug.

Reggie pulled back and quickly grabbed Cheryl and Toni in a group hug. “You two are looking HOT. My favorite couple,” he said. Jughead winced at Reggie’s entire douchey vibe, but Cheryl, Betty, and Toni seemed unfazed, already prepared to handle his antics with ease. 

Cheryl flipped her hair. “We better be, Reg,” she said, putting her arm around Toni. Toni gestured toward Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead, still standing in the front yard, beckoning them to come up to join everyone else on the front porch. 

“These are Toni’s oldest friends in the world, so they’re inner circle,” Cheryl explained to Reggie. She pointed at each one, “Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead.” 

Reggie waved at them, giving each of them a once-over and frowning slightly at Jughead. “Hello, boys! I’m Reggie, welcome to our home. Come on in, everyone!”

Jughead watched Reggie put an arm around Betty and lead her into the house, leaning in to ask her “so, how you’ve been, B?” Was there something going on between Betty and Reggie he didn’t know about? Maybe Betty had decided she didn’t want to sit around waiting for Jughead to decide if he was attracted to her. Or maybe she just wasn’t as interested as he thought she was, and just wanted to be friends. He prided himself on his ability to observe people well, having always been the quiet, brooding observer in the corner of most social situations. Had he read this one wrong?

Sweet Pea nudged him forward, breaking his series of panicked thoughts. “You okay, Jones?” he asked quietly as they followed the group down a short hallway and into a huge living room.

Jughead nodded, relaxing a bit when he saw that Betty was hugging Kevin hello, standing with Cheryl, Toni, Reggie, and seemingly the rest of the roommates Jughead had never met before. Toni came over and pulled her friends over to the group. “These are my oldest friends, everyone!” she said loudly.

“Oh, yes, sorry, I didn’t mean to cut your eclectic friends off from the rest of us,” Reggie said, laughing.

Jughead narrowed his eyes at him, but Cheryl quickly said in an angry tone, “Don’t be an asshole, Reggie.”

Kevin jumped in quickly. “Toni’s friends are the best. That’s Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead.” He came to half-hug each of them hello as he introduced them. He pointed at the other two dudes standing in the circle. “This is Archie and Chuck.” Both Archie and Chuck offered a handshake with genuinely kind eyes, which relaxed Jughead a bit. 

Meanwhile, Reggie took the opportunity to zero in on Betty again, putting an arm around her. Betty rolled her eyes internally. She and Reggie had dated for about a month last year after leaving a party together and having a surprisingly nice stoned night alone, but that had been the peak of their short-lived relationship, if you could even call it that. They’d fooled around a few times, but she’d never felt like they were sexually compatible enough to want to go beyond second base with him. And their conversation was lacking, to say the least. She had broken it off with him quickly, stating they were better off as friends. He never failed to flirt with her each time he saw her, however, even over a year later. She was always careful to keep the peace, with two of her best friends living in the same apartment as him, flirting back just enough to satisfy him without making him think it meant anything more. 

“It’s been too long since we hanged, B,” Reggie cooed.

Betty smiled and removed his arm from around her. “I know! Y’all need to have more parties!”

From across the room, Jughead noticed Betty remove Reggie’s arm and held back an actual grin from spreading across his face. He had been spiraling again internally, wondering if Betty would rather spend the night flirting with Reggie, leaving him to his own devices in his least favorite setting. Cheryl and Betty both seemed perfectly at ease around Reggie. Was this the kind of guy Betty wanted to hang out with all night? Someone who would surely be down to do what a “dark corner” implied, rather than just sit there making fun of everyone together, as he envisioned them doing. But no, he reminded himself. Betty would never abandon him. The look on her face earlier when she’d reminded him that she knew all the best places to hide in the house made him think she understood his social anxiety. She wouldn’t leave him alone here.

“Hey, we’re back in the game, Betty, I promise,” Reggie said. “Fourth of July cook-out. Day drinking extravaganza. Right here.”

“Ooh, can’t wait,” Betty said, a tinge of sarcasm to her voice. She started looking around the room, her eyes landing on Jughead standing on the edge of the group.

“And I hear you’ve started back up those Sunday night drinks, right?” Reggie asked, trying to keep her attention.

Betty turned back to Reggie. “Huh? Oh yes! You should totally come sometime! We’re there every Sunday.” She spotted Cheryl and Toni grabbing drinks across the room and shot Cheryl a look.

Cheryl sprung into action. “Betty, Jughead!” she called. Jughead looked up from where he was standing on the edge of Kevin, Fangs, Sweet Pea, Archie, and Chuck’s conversation. Betty recognized a hopeful look in his eyes.

“We told the Pussycats we’d help them set up, let’s head downstairs?” Cheryl said.

Betty gave Reggie an apologetic look. “Duty calls. I’ll see you later.”

Reggie pierced her with an intense stare. “I better,” he said, his voice deep and low. Betty rolled her eyes, this time outwardly. He was too full of it.

She walked over to Jughead, putting her arm through his. “See how Cheryl orchestrated that first escape there?” she said in his ear. “We’re pros.”

They joined Cheryl and Toni by the drinks. “Want a drink, Betty?” Cheryl asked.

Betty glanced at the assortment of bottles and cups. “I’m good for now. Maybe some wine later.”

“Classy choice, Cooper,” Toni said, laughing.

“Is it classy when it’s Sutton House rosé?” Betty asking, quirking her eyebrows in amusement.

“Definitely not,” Cheryl said, putting on her snobby Blossom voice.

Everyone laughed. “Let’s go help these divas set up for their show,” Betty said, beckoning for Cheryl and Toni to lead the way. They walked further into the house, coming to a staircase which seemed to Jughead to be leading them into utter darkness.

Betty grabbed Jughead’s hand as she led him down the creaky stairs. He smiled, feeling like his previous worries had been completely unfounded. They entered a giant basement. Christmas lights hung from the ceiling beams and there were tapestries hanging from each wall, complete with a low wooden stage in its center flanked by speakers. The entire room screamed DIY and would seem way too cool for most of the jocks who lived there, if he didn’t know that Kevin and Moose lived there too. Moose was busy tinkering with the lights spotlighting the stage, while Melody was setting up her drums and Valerie her keyboard. Josie looked up from where she was messing with a mic as she heard her friends descend the stairs.

“Hey!” Josie called, looking relieved and happy to see them.

Everyone embraced as they said their hellos. Melody gave Jughead a wink as she pulled back from hugging him, and Betty shot her a look, which did not go unnoticed by Jughead. 

“By the way,” Betty said, turning toward Jughead. “Doesn’t it look amazing down here? We didn’t let Chuck, Reggie, or Archie touch the decorating. It was all of us ladies one Saturday last September with Kevin and Moose. It’s a masterpiece, right?” She gestured around the basement.

“It really is,” Jughead said. “You really answered all the questions I already had in my head. I was thinking, there is no way that douchebag who answered the door picked out any of these tapestries.”

Betty let out a genuine laugh. “Yeah, sorry about him,” she lowered her voice and leaned in closer to him. “He is definitely my least favorite of the roommates. I’ll give you the lowdown on one of our escapes later.”

Jughead smiled, happy to hear that the earlier-mentioned escapes were still on the table. At that moment, Valerie called for Betty, and she beckoned for Jughead to follow her. They were both tapped in to help the Pussycats set up. For the next twenty minutes or so, Toni and Cheryl put their drinks down and everyone worked together to get the stage ready for the house show that was set to begin in an hour and a half.

Kevin came down the stairs, holding a container of cups and a large, full bottle of the earlier-mentioned Sutton House rosé, with Reggie, Chuck, Archie, Sweet Pea, and Fangs following behind.

“Way to get here just as we finished setting up,” Valerie said, hands on her hips.

“We see you avoiding responsibility,” Josie added, eyeing all the boys with disdain. “Except you two!” she said, her face brightening as she spotted Sweet Pea and Fangs picking up the rear.

“We were just showing our wonderful guests around,” Reggie said in an exaggerated tone.

“Anyone care for some wine?” Kevin asked. 

“People who helped set up first!” Betty declared, eagerly grabbing a cup of wine with the Pussycats and Moose. 

Jughead watched as Betty was slowly surrounded by Kevin and Moose’s roommates, with Chuck on one side and Reggie on the other. He wasn’t surprised. She was, after all, an attractive single girl in their general orbit. Jughead objectively knew that Betty fell into the “universally hot” category to straight guys. He’d looked right through plenty of women who he knew felt into that category before, not feeling the attraction he was “supposed” to. But Betty was different. She was the first one he was beginning to see in the way that he knew all these other dudes saw her, even if it was at his own pace.

Jughead felt a nudge on his arm, and turned to find Toni standing next to him, with her own cup of wine in hand. “Hey, Jug,” she said. “How are you doin? I know this isn’t your favorite place to be.”

“It could be worse,” he said, smiling. “I’m excited to hang out with Betty in a place that isn’t class or a coffee shop, to be honest,” he said. “If that ever happens.” His eyes flickered over Betty, still engaged in a conversation with Chuck and Reggie.

“You have to remember these are her best friends’ roommates. She has to have her polite conversations with all of them before she sneaks away with the cute, broody guy she’s crushing on,” Toni said.

Jughead flushed at the last part. “I...you don’t…”

Toni shook her head, laughing. “You’re the color of a tomato, Jones, I swear. Don’t act like you don’t know Betty is crushing on you.”

Jughead gulped. “Is it obvious she likes me? Have we been hanging out too long? Am I expected to make a move at this party?”

Toni shook her head. “No, of course not, Jug. You’re expected to do whatever you want and feel comfortable with, at your own pace. Betty is never going to pressure you.”

Jughead nodded, breathing out slowly. “Good, because I’m not sure if I’m ready yet.”

Toni rubbed Jughead’s back for a second, and Jughead smiled appreciatively. Toni was a great friend. “I promise you that when you’re ready, you’ll know it,” Toni said, taking a sip of her drink.

Across the room, Betty made a polite excuse to walk away from Chuck and Reggie, and made her way toward Jughead and Toni. Jughead noticed a couple other jocks had arrived, including Trev from their class, and rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans for what felt like the millionth time since they’d entered the party house.

“Hey, guys,” Betty said, finally reaching them. “Hey, Jughead, do you want to go find one of those previously-mentioned dark corners?”

Jughead’s face lit up at the suggestion. “Of course.”

“Thank God. I need a break from the dudebros. And to smoke without like, ten people trying to get in on the bowl.” She had a little playful twinkle in her eye at the last part, and Jughead laughed.

“Lead the way, Betty. You’ll be okay, Toni?” he asked, and they both turned to look at her.

“Of course! My girl’s right here. See y’all later,” Toni said, moving to join Cheryl in the corner, where she was rolling a joint with Melody on one of the makeshift tables. 

Betty grabbed Jughead’s hand again, leading him up the stairs. “Sorry,” she said. “I’ve just fallen down these stairs so many times, I hold someone else as a precautionary measure at this point.” But she still blushed as she said it.

“Wouldn’t you just end up pulling me down with you?” Jughead asked, laughing.

She shrugged. “Maybe, but then at least I wouldn’t fall alone.” As they emerged into the relative lightness of the empty kitchen, Betty released his hand. “Let’s go up to Kevin’s room.”

She led him through the living room and up another set of stairs to the second floor, and then up yet another set of stairs to a third floor. “Jesus, how big is this place?” Jughead asked, out of breath.

“Too big for five guys, I’d say,” Betty said, laughing as they finally reached a closed door with a Mamma Mia! poster on it. “This is it,” she said, pushing the door open. “Kevin is really excited for Mamma Mia 2.”

“I would expect nothing less of Kevin,” Jughead said, laughing, as Betty flicked on the light to reveal Kevin’s incredibly neat room covered in mostly theater-related posters and inebriated photos of the crew. 

Betty settled on Kevin’s bed and patted the space next to her. The two sat in comfortable silence as Betty grabbed Kevin’s piece off his nightstand and grinded up some weed into a grinder she retrieved from her bag. “This is Kevin’s bong, Old Rusty. Isn’t that name the WORST?” Betty said, taking a hit.

“Old Rusty? Sounds like some weird old dude or a farm dog,” Jughead said, laughing.

Betty laughed as she blew smoke out toward the window. “Exactly! I hate it, which only makes Kevin like it more, of course. It’s a good piece though.”

She took another hit, and then rested the piece on the nightstand. “So, what do you think of the party house so far?” She smiled, looking at him and waiting for the sardonic rant she expected to come.

Jughead fixed her with a grin. “This place is insane. How exactly did Kevin and Moose get hooked up with all those jocky guys? They really don’t seem to match.”

“Believe me, I know. Moose became friends with all of us via Kevin. They go to Radical Queer Caucus together.”

“That’s the more leftist LGBTQ group on campus, right?” Jughead asked. He remembered seeing two at the freshman year club fair.

“Yep. Moose needed that safe space from all the hypermasculinity considering he plays basketball. Reggie can be a lot, but Archie and Chuck are good guys, and the three of them asked Moose to go in on a party house with them at the end of sophomore year. Kevin needed somewhere to live and they needed a fifth, so it just sorta happened.”

Jughead nodded. “Makes sense. And Moose and Kevin enjoy living in a party house?”

“Mostly, yes. I mean, it’s nice to be able to throw the parties yourself and control who comes. And have somewhere to escape during said parties, since it’s their house. And if the party goes too late, Kevin just comes and crashes with us,” Betty explained, laughing, as she resumed smoking. “Now, I, on the other hand, would absolutely HATE to live in a party house.”

Jughead nodded enthusiastically. “Same,” he said. “I would want to kick everyone out in about thirty minutes.”

Betty laughed. “Yeah, I can handle hosting smaller parties. Like, as long as it’s all people I actually know. But once you start inviting randos, it’s too much for me.” She took another hit. “But obviously you need the randos for something like a house show, so it’s good we have a party house in the family.”

Jughead nodded. “‘In the family.’ I like that.”

“I’m such a wordsmith.”

“You could give me a run for my money,” Jughead agreed.

Betty shook her head, laughing, and taking another hit. “You’re the best,” she said, blushing. “Finally, Stoner Betty emerges,” she added, trying to dissipate the tension.

“I like Stoner Betty,” Jughead said quietly. “She’s fun.”

“So glad to hear that, because I like her too. I don’t really like drinking that much…” Betty paused to look around the room as if trying to find something. “I just realized I totally forgot my wine downstairs. Whatever, I’m really not tryna drink too much tonight anyway.”

Jughead leaned back on his arms on the bed. “So what’s the story with you and hating drinking?”

Betty leaned back a bit herself, resting her head on her arm and turning to face him. “I drank a little in high school, but not much. Never really liked the taste, or the feeling. Freshman year of college I had more fun with it with my new friends, but I still had a few really bad nights. You know, nights that ended in crying or puking or both.”

Jughead winced, nodding. 

“Plus, I hate the way some guys flirt with you when you’re drunk,” Betty added. “Guys like Reggie. I…” She paused, unsure if she wanted to reveal to him yet her history with Reggie. It was embarrassing that she’d even considered dating him at this point. Jughead was looking at her expectantly. “I just had some shitty experiences. And I’ve never warmed up to the way getting really drunk makes me feel. Plus, I hate having to pee all night. Small bladder problems. So I rarely drink more than one or two drinks at a party.”

“As someone who has sworn off all the substances but whose friends mostly drink, it’s very interesting,” Jughead said slowly, watching Betty take a final hit off the piece and ash it in Kevin’s pizza-shaped ashtray.

“Weed is so much better,” Betty said, packing a second bowl. “I’ve already explained it to you before, but it makes me feel more relaxed, open, able to be myself around others. It’s just...THE BEST.” She laughed and touched his arm briefly. “I am the weed queen!” she declared, taking her first hit off the new bowl.

Jughead burst out laughing. “Stoner Betty” was so fun to be around. It felt like she was so unwrapped, so purely herself, making dumb jokes and seeming to care less what the people around her thought. He was already having more fun in Kevin’s room than he’d had since they’d entered the party house.

“So, how about you?” Betty asked, nudging Jughead. “What’s your, like, ‘partying’ history? I assume you’ve at least tagged along with your friends to parties, seeing as they clearly all partake.”

“You would be right,” Jughead said. “I’ve been the sober friend tagging along to parties since, like, freshman year of high school. Even though I would still mostly sit in the corner, I didn’t mind as much in JP because at least I knew everyone, you know?” Betty nodded, listening intently. “It was all people from our neighborhood who I’d known forever.”

Jughead paused, thinking of how everyone in his neighborhood knew him as the son of an alcoholic father. He hadn’t wanted people to see him with a red cup in his hand and think to themselves: like father, like son. So he’d abstained, time and time again, until it became a part of the fabric of who he was. He knew he wanted Betty to know that, but he didn’t think Kevin’s room right when a huge party was about to start was the right time to tell her about his dad’s alcoholism and mother’s drug addiction. Betty was looking at him with a kind smile on her face, knowing he was probably wrestling with something and not wanting to prod him, and let him gather himself before he continued, “Anyway, since we moved out of the neighborhood and Toni and I started going to school here, it’s been different. I’m not great with small talk and meeting new people, so every time I come to a party, I just feel so out of my element.”

Betty sighed, taking a hit. “I feel that. Half the people we go to school with just seem like people I would never be able to hold a conversation with. Like, there’s no substance to them.”

“Exactly!” Jughead said. “But, yeah, so that coupled with the fact that I don’t drink or smoke or anything doesn’t make for a very welcoming partying environment. Plus, the whole demisexual thing. Sweet Pea and Fangs always go off and flirt with people, and I get left alone.”

“Not this time, though,” Betty said, gripping his arm and smiling up at him. “You’ve got me.”

Jughead smiled, and glanced down at where she was touching him. It didn’t feel bad. Betty moved closer to him. With both of them staring at each other, it looked like she was about to say something more, but they were interrupted by the sound of Cheryl and Toni calling for them from the top of the stairs. 

Betty quickly released his arm, pulling away slightly so they were sitting farther apart than they had been. Jughead lowered his eyes, his heart racing a mile a minute, wondering what Betty was going to say. As Cheryl and Toni stumbled into Kevin’s room, Toni narrowed her eyes at their position, clearly sensing that they had adjusted themselves quickly.

Cheryl, clearly a few more drinks in since they’d last seen her, was seemingly oblivious to any awkwardness. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you! Do you want to smoke a bowl before the Pussycats go on?”

Betty pointed over at Old Rusty. “You can finish off what’s in there and we can pack another.”

“Great!” Cheryl grabbed the bong, and signaled toward Jughead to move over so she could sit next to Betty, moving in between them. Betty shot an irritated look toward Toni when Jughead wasn’t looking and Toni shrugged in apology. Drunk Cheryl always got her way.

“So, how’s the party going down there?” Betty asked.

“It’s filling up in the basement! Archie was about to start playing a few songs on his guitar as the opening set, so I thought it was the perfect time to come find y’all and smoke a bowl,” Cheryl said.

Betty laughed. “Great call.” She turned in Jughead’s direction and explained, “Archie plays the worst basic white boy music. But I think Valerie has been feelin him lately, so she said he could open for them.” 

Jughead laughed. He couldn’t imagine that dude playing music.

“The last time they held an open mic down there during the school year, Archie’s set was so bad,” Toni said, and Cheryl and Betty laughed at the memory. “I think I might’ve come home and told you about it, Jug.”

Jughead did remember that. It was crazy to think of how long Toni had been hanging out with Betty via Cheryl and he’d had no idea they had so much in common. “I do think I remember that. Open mic nights, huh?”

“Yeah, we do them during the school year, they’re so fun!” Betty said. “And we have people drop off visual art too, and hang it up in the basement. It was kind of me and Kevin’s highdea.”

Jughead interrupted her before she could continue. “I’m sorry, highdea?”

“Highdea!” Betty said insistently, and both Cheryl and Toni laughed at the contrast between the enthusiasm on Betty’s face and the incredulous look on Jughead’s. “An idea you have while you’re high! Aren’t you an English lit major?” She paused to take a hit and everyone laughed. 

Jughead smiled. “Touché.”

Betty exhaled a large cloud of smoke. “Kevin and I were smoking down in the basement one day and it came to us! And it was like every hit fueled the idea even more. By the end of the bowl, a legendary event series had been born.”

Cheryl and Toni clapped mockingly, and Betty stood up to take a fake bow. Jughead just shook his head and laughed at the entire display. “You ladies are something else,” he said.

Toni smiled and climbed onto Cheryl’s lap. “Aren’t they the best?” she asked, giving Cheryl a kiss and causing both Betty and Jughead to get up from either side of the couple.

“Do you guys want the room, or…?” Jughead asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Betty took the moment to take a hit, before locking eyes with Jughead as they shook their heads at each other. Cheryl and Toni were still making out. Betty cleared her throat. “Our friends are so embarrassing, Jug, wow!” she said loudly, causing them to finally pull apart.

“Sorry, guys. We’re just so in love,” Cheryl said in her drunk, whining voice. Toni giggled, which Jughead found horrifyingly cute. Toni had never acted like this with any of the other people she’d dated before.

Betty checked her phone and put Old Rusty back down on the nightstand. “Take your last hits, y’all. The Pussycats are due on in ten minutes, and Kevin says we should come down and he’ll bring us to the front of the crowd.”

Cheryl took one more hit and Betty ashed the bowl, smoothing over her dress as the four of them left the room and descended the stairs. 

Betty grabbed Jughead’s hand with one hand and Cheryl’s with the other as they entered the living room to find it full of people. They pushed their way through the crowd and finally got down the stairs into the equally packed basement. Betty let go of Cheryl but kept her hold on Jughead’s hand until they found Kevin at the front of the crowd. The stage was empty, Archie’s set done as everyone waited for Josie, Valerie, and Melody to come on.

“You excited?” Betty asked Jughead.

“Definitely excited to finally know what their music sounds like,” Jughead said, laughing.

“It’s really good, they do a lot of awesome covers and their originals have a kind of R&B vibe. Valerie writes a lot of their music, and it’s amazing,” Betty explained, with Kevin nodding from next to her.

“You’re gonna love it, Jughead!” Kevin said enthusiastically. Betty could tell that Kevin was already hoping that Betty would get together with Jughead and was trying to become his best friend. Kevin had been trying to get Betty to date someone all school year, insistent that Betty was too much of a catch to be single for all of college aside from the few short-lived flings she’d had freshman and sophomore year. At this point, as Kevin had enjoyed reminding her, Betty hadn’t seen any action since she’d dated a guy she used to work with at Urban for a record two weeks the summer before. He said there was nothing he wanted more than to third wheel Betty and some babe. Both Betty and Kevin were now hoping that said babe’s name would be Jughead.

“Can’t wait!” Jughead said with the most enthusiasm he could muster, and Betty bumped his shoulder as she smiled approvingly at the effort he’d made.

Finally, the set began. Josie, Melody, and Valerie came out one at a time, to the enthusiastic cheering and clapping of the crowd. While they had been waiting, Betty and Kevin had informed Jughead that Josie and the Pussycats were one of the most popular bands in the Boston DIY scene, which was why the house was so packed, seemingly with every college kid who had stayed in town for the summer.

“We’re gonna start with a cover of Miss Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love!’” Josie yelled into the mic, and everyone cheered.

“This is one of their best covers!” Kevin yelled over his shoulder at Betty and Jughead before taking an Instagram story of the beginning of the performance. With such a large crowd, it had somehow ended up with Jughead standing behind Betty, with Kevin to their left and Cheryl and Toni wrapped up in each other in front. Moose, Sweet Pea, and Fangs were nowhere to be found, likely lost somewhere in the giant crowd. Betty turned for a second to share a look of amusement with Jughead before turning back toward the stage and cheering loudly for her friends. Melody spotted Betty and Jughead and winked at them just as they started the song.

They had a really funky arrangement to the classic and Jughead found himself swaying a little bit, as much as he ever danced. Betty was swaying her hips to the beat, and she backed herself up so she was standing next to Jughead and smiled at him, seeing that he was getting into it. He returned the smile and they swayed right next to each other for the entire song. Jughead couldn’t remember the last time he had actually been out at something like this and felt like part of the action, and not just an observant. With Betty, it felt seamless to be a part of the crowd, to loosen up a little bit and have some fun. The song ended, and Betty beamed at Jughead before pointing toward the stage and screaming for her friends as everyone whooped and clapped.

“Alright, now one of our originals. This one was written by our very own Valerie Brown,” Josie said, pausing so everyone could cheer. 

As they started a romantic slow jam, Jughead noticed that Toni had backed herself up on Cheryl as they began grinding to the song. He gulped, wondering if this was expected of him with Betty and unsure how to even begin processing dancing with someone like that in front of other people, but he turned to find Betty dancing with Kevin, both of them laughing as they spun each other around. Betty turned to smile at Jughead, offering her hand for him to join them. He couldn’t help but grin, finding his fears unfounded yet again. He took her hand, Kevin grabbed his other hand, and the three of them danced to the rest of the songs in the set. 

The Pussycats played for almost an hour, which Jughead found impressive for such a young band. As they began their encore, “Out Tonight” from Rent, Betty pulled away from Kevin and grabbed Jughead. 

“Wanna dance?” she asked.

Jughead looked nervously over at Cheryl and Toni, who were both just as entangled as they’d been for the entire set, dancing sensually. Betty followed his eyeline and shot him an amused look. “Not like that,” she said, pulling back from him and simply wiggling and dancing toward him. “We can dance just the two of us, but it doesn’t have to be sexual,” she said. “We can do whatever we want.”

“Let’s go outttt tonight!” Josie and Valerie sang together from the stage and Jughead watched Betty dancing her heart out, smiling at him and wiggling her fingers toward him, beckoning him to join her, and he held up his hands in surrender. He danced toward her and followed her lead, trying his hardest not to be awkward. She locked eyes with him, all smiles, and he maintained eye contact. When it slowed down to Betty’s favorite part of the song, she sang along with Josie and Valerie, mouthing the words at him while maintaining complete eye contact. 

_Can’t sleep in the city of neon and chrome_  
_Feels too damn much like home_  
_Where the Spanish babies cry_  
_So let’s find a bar so dark we forget who we are_  
_Where all the scars from the nevers and maybes die_

Jughead felt a flush on his cheeks and a tingle in his stomach that wasn’t usually there, and he couldn’t look away. Betty had a good voice, and he found her green eyes completely captivating. 

The song picked up again, and the moment broke as they resumed dancing. Cheryl and Toni broke apart and came closer to them, Toni yelling, “how did you get him to actually dance?” before grabbing Jughead and spinning him around once.

Everyone sang along, cheering, as the Pussycats finished the song. 

“I’ll let you make me...out tonight! Tonight! Tonight! Tonight!”

With the last note, the basement went wild. Jughead was taken aback when a minute later, Cheryl, Betty, Kevin, and Toni all jumped up on the stage to join their friends. Kevin held out a hand to Jughead to bring him up with them, and he let himself get pulled. Betty immediately grabbed his hand and brought him over to where Melody was breaking down her drums, releasing him as they greeted Melody.

“You were amazing, as always! You even got Jughead to dance,” Betty said, bumping Jughead’s hip. 

He smirked at Betty before turning to Melody, “Seriously, you were all so good. It’s true that I’m not much of a dancer, but I danced during the entire set.”

Betty smiled at his sincere compliment and so did Melody. “You’re a good one, Jughead,” she said, winking at Betty. “Y’all have to excuse me though, I’m about to start DJing the second half of the night and I need to pee, drink water, drink alcohol, and drink water, in that order, before I can do that.”

Betty laughed, embracing Melody. “Come find me if you need to add weed to that list.”

Melody kissed Betty’s cheek and said, “You’re the true weed queen, my love” before dashing off to get her shit together.

“So, what now?” Jughead asked Betty as they were left alone on the stage. 

“Well, the more party part of the night is about to begin,” Betty said, a look of sadness in her eyes. “Which is my least favorite part of the night. But, my friends will kill me if I don’t at least stay for some of it. Are you down to hang around here for the first like, half hour of Melody’s DJ set and then we can go escape somewhere?” She looked up at him nervously, as if certain he would hate her clearly meticulously-thought out plan. In reality, Jughead was feeling a lot of feelings, one being actual disbelief that Betty had clearly planned her whole night under the assumption that they would be hanging out the entire time. He felt like a jackass for even considering that Betty would ditch him for someone like Reggie. 

“That sounds perfect,” Jughead said. “I think I can muster another half hour of strength before I get too allergic to people to stay here.”

“Absolutely same,” Betty said, pulling her weed pen out of her purse and taking a deep hit. Jughead smiled, impressed as always with how many little gadgets she had ready to go in any given social situation. “I already have the perfect place picked out for us to go.” Betty took another puff. “Serene. Quiet. Aesthetic. Everything an English lit major like yourself would enjoy.”

Jughead smiled and moved slightly closer to Betty. “Aw, you picked a spot out just for me?” he asked quietly.

Betty lowered her voice and let her smile fade into an earnest look. “I wanted you to have a good night,” she said. 

He gulped as they maintained eye contact. “You’re the best,” he said, echoing her earlier statement and digging his hands into his pocket. He backed away a bit, his heart beating fast not for the first time that night. There was clearly tension between them. He had never felt tension between himself and ANYONE. It was a completely new sensation for him. Not necessarily all bad, but unfamiliar. Betty was blushing and biting her lip. Neither was ready to confront what was happening.

Thankfully, they were saved by Josie and Valerie coming up to them and giving them both hugs. They talked about the set for another ten minutes, laughing and joking, until Melody joined them on the stage, holding a tequila concoction in one hand and water in the other. “Alright, y’all, get off my stage. I’m ready to blow this set out of the water. And then wait for a guy to come find me to bang.”

“Oh, wow,” Josie said, hand on her chest. “She did not come to play tonight. Let’s go, y’all.” Everyone laughed as they jumped down the couple feet to the ground. Jughead helped Betty down and she blushed, giving a timid “thank you.”

Melody started her DJ set with “Only If U Knew” by Starchild & The New Romantic, a band Betty and all her friends had become obsessed with this summer after seeing him open for one of their favorite bands. Cheryl and Toni came running up to Josie, Valerie, Betty, and Kevin, who all swayed and danced together, singing the lyrics and pointing up at Melody on the stage. 

Jughead smiled as he watched them dip each other and scream the lyrics. When Toni had first asked him to come hang out with Cheryl’s friends that night last month, he hadn’t expected to like them as much as he now did. He could tell, even just watching them dance to Melody’s DJ set at this party, that they all loved each other at the core of everything.

As the next song started, Betty came up to Jughead and pulled him over to everyone else. “Just a few more songs,” she whispered in his ear before spinning him around.

“Yes, Jughead!” Toni yelled. Jughead laughed and spun Toni around once. “Weird to see you actually dancing,” Toni said, quieter. 

“There’s a first time for everything, I guess,” Jughead said sheepishly as Toni gave him a knowing look. 

Betty and Jughead danced with the crew for another few songs. As the room finished going hard to “Roses” by Outkast, Betty touched Jughead’s arm to get his attention. She motioned toward the door. “I’m so tired,” she whispered. “You ready to get out of here?” 

Jughead was a little nervous internally as to what was expected of him once they left the party. All the flirtatious touches and comments they’d made to each other felt less intimidating, somehow, with all the people and lights and music surrounding them. Out in the quieter reality of the Allston streets, Jughead wasn’t sure how to act around Betty. They seemed to be entering brand new territory. He pushed down the nervousness, though, and replied to Betty, “I thought you’d never ask.”

She laughed and bumped Cheryl’s hip. “We’re gonna get out of here,” she said, motioning toward Jughead. When Cheryl raised her eyebrows, Betty shook her head. “I’m just gonna go smoke and then we’ll head home. You know neither of us are huge partiers.”

Jughead felt a strange pang of happiness hearing Betty lump them both together in the very accurate category of people who didn’t love parties. “See you guys later,” he said to Cheryl and Toni, interrupting their grinding to give them both quick hugs. Betty and Jughead did their rounds with Josie, Valerie, Kevin, and Moose, and Betty made sure Melody saw them leaving and she waved to them from the stage. They looked around for Sweet Pea and Fangs, finding them both on the dance floor with partners. “I’ll text them so I don’t interrupt,” Jughead said.

Satisfied, Betty grabbed Jughead’s hand and led the way through the crowd and up the creaky stairs for the final time that night. They navigated their way through the still-packed kitchen and living room, and Betty finally released Jughead’s hand as they emerged onto the front porch with the cig smokers and then into the relative coolness of the night.

Jughead fanned himself and closed his eyes, letting the fresh air wash over him. “I forgot what it could be like to not be packed against hundreds of people,” he said. 

Betty giggled. “You’re truly such a trooper for hanging in there with me that long. You game for one more stop?”

Jughead opened his eyes and smiled at her. “Of course I am. Isn’t this the spot you picked out just for broody English lit majors like myself?”

Betty smiled. “Well, it’s my favorite, and I just have a feeling you’ll enjoy it too.”

She led them around the back of the house and down a weird alley, until they came to a small playground Jughead had admittedly never been to before. “Has this been here the whole time and I just never knew about it?” he asked.

“You’re too busy, you barista boy,” Betty said, sitting down on a sculpture of a turtle and patting the frog sculpture opposite her.

“I dig these weird little animal sculptures,” Jughead said, looking his over before sitting down.

Betty smiled, already pulling her smaller bowl, a grinder, and some weed out of her purse. “I figured you would.” They both sat in a relieving silence as Betty packed her bowl. She fished a lighter out of her purse and took a deep first hit, exhaling a large plume of smoke and watching it float away from them into the dark night sky. She was trying to calm herself internally, knowing that Jughead had definitely been flirting with her tonight, but unsure if he was ready to go any farther than that. Baby steps, Betty, she reminded herself as she took another soothing hit.

Jughead watched Betty watch the smoke, trying to understand what was happening between them. Had they pushed beyond just friends tonight? Did he want to? Was he ready? He knew something was brewing between them, but he didn’t know how to put words to it.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Betty finally asked, interrupting his spiraling thoughts.

“You know, I actually did,” Jughead said, offering a soft, genuine smile. “And that’s really saying something, considering everything going on in there.” He pointed back toward the party house. 

“I know, it’s insane. And the worst part is, I’ll have to be back here on the Fourth of July for their cook-out,” Betty rolled her eyes. “But I’m glad I at least had you here. It was a lot more fun with you.” She blushed a little at the last part, happy to see that Jughead blushed and returned the smile.

“I had fun with you too,” he said, softly.

Neither of them really seemed to have many words left to say, still both processing the implications of all the dancing and flirting they had done. Finally, Betty finished her bowl and stood up, patting off her dress. “I’m tired. Wanna head back?”

Jughead stood up. “I’ll walk you home.”

As they started toward Betty’s apartment, they fell into easy conversation about class as Jughead asked if Betty had spotted Trev inside.

“Oh, I’m so glad we avoided him,” Betty said, laughing. “He’s a total douche.”

“Was the time he hit on you at that house?” Jughead asked curiously.

Betty nodded. “I think it was. I made some excuse and went and hid in Kevin’s room.”

Jughead burst out laughing. “Kevin’s room really comes through every time.”

They passed through the intersection where Jughead’s job was located. He looked at it, always finding it strange to see the coffee shop closed up and dark at night.

“Oh, my God, Jughead, I am totally craving a chocolate chip muffin from your coffee shop,” Betty said as they passed. She paused outside for a second. “You don’t have a key, right?”

Jughead laughed at her, looking at how insistent she was in her half stoned, half tipsy state. “I do have a key, but I would get fired if I used it right now.”

Betty nodded. “That makes sense, man. But damn, those muffins are good.”

Jughead couldn’t stop laughing at Betty’s stoned antics as they continued toward her apartment. They finally arrived home and, almost as if on cue, Betty let out a deep yawn. 

“Thanks for inviting me,” Jughead said as they paused on the walkway to Cheryl and Betty’s building.

Betty moved slightly closer. “Thanks for coming along. I had way more fun with you than I usually do at these things, forreal.”

Jughead locked eyes with her, and the words that came out his mouth next surprised even him. “I’m happy to come along with you any time. I had fun too.”

They stood, staring at each other, neither sure if the other was planning to make a move. While he was far too terrified to be ready to make a first move, Jughead was realizing that if Betty initiated something, he probably wouldn’t push her away. That thought was terrifying too. He looked into Betty’s green eyes and saw something unmistakable there: desire.

Betty finally lowered her eyes and grinned, holding out her arms. “Hug?” she whispered.

Jughead nodded, smiling and giving her a hug. This one was longer than any hug they’d shared before, both of them trying to convey a lot more in the moment. I wanted to do more, Betty seemed to say. I think I wanted to do more but I’m not ready, Jughead tried to silently convey.

As they pulled back, both gave each other one more smile, and Betty said, “Thanks for walking me home. Get home safe, Jug.”

“Good night, Betts,” Jughead said, and Betty blushed at the nickname.

“I like that nickname!” she called after him as he walked away from her down the street and he turned and exaggerated pumping his fist. “Victory!”

Betty laughed, watching him until his retreating form disappeared into the distance. She closed the door and, just because she was pretty stoned and she’d seen it in movies before, she slid all the way down the door and onto the floor of her empty apartment. “I’m so fucked,” she whispered.

 

Wednesday, July 4

Betty could not believe she was back here already.

It was noon, and she, Cheryl, and Toni stood side by side in the backyard of Kevin’s house, sipping on the margaritas Kevin had made out of red cups. They were the only women here, watching the entire basketball team take a beer pong tournament entirely too seriously.

“Happy birthday, you trash country America,” Toni said, rolling her eyes.

“This display of toxic masculinity is very fitting, actually,” Cheryl said, and Toni and Betty laughed.

“How much longer do we have to stay here out of politeness to Kevin and Moose?” Betty asked. This was her first and only drink, as Betty kind of loathed day drinking. “Also, how did the Pussycats get out of being here?”

“Easy. They made plans ahead of time to go to the Cape! We should have joined them,” Cheryl said wistfully.

“I figured I was gonna be working. Who would’ve thought Urban would bless me with this day off?” Betty said.

“We all lucked out, yet we are having no fun,” Toni said. 

The three of them turned to find that Reggie was pouring water over Chuck’s head while all the guys surrounding them cracked up. “How old are these dudes again?” Betty asked incredulously. Kevin and Moose were talking to Archie in the corner, all of them in between pong games. Betty pointed at them. “Maybe if we just go talk to them for awhile, we can look like we came for long enough to be polite and sneak out after.”

“Ooh, good plan, B. But where would we go instead?” Cheryl asked.

Betty thought for a second, but nothing came to mind. “Oh, it doesn’t matter, anything is more fun than here. Escape first, make plans later.”

“One step at a time,” Toni agreed, an exasperated look on her face as she looked around at the masculine-heavy party.

Their plan worked famously, and a half hour later, the trio stood outside the party house with their margaritas long drank, make-up fixed, and a pee for the road secured. “Okay, where to next?” Cheryl asked.

Toni shrugged. Betty timidly asked, “Um, can I ask what...your friends are up to, Toni?” 

Toni and Cheryl both shot her a knowing look. “Sweet Pea and Fangs are at a barbeque back in JP they go to every year,” Toni said, taking a pause for maximum drama. “Your boy Jughead picked up a shift since y’all have no class today. He’s working another couple hours, and then he’s supposed to meet up with Sweets and Fangs.”

“Well, let’s go get some coffee,” Betty said immediately. 

Cheryl burst out laughing. “Oh, B, you’ve really got a crush, huh?”

“Hey, she got Jughead to dance at the Pussycats show, Cheryl,” Toni said. “Anything is possible. I’m down for coffee and to say hey to Jug, so let’s go.”

Jughead felt like he was experiencing déjà vu when he heard the bell ding at the door and looked up to find Betty Cooper walking toward the counter, this time with Cheryl and Toni in tow. His face warmed immediately and he felt that strange, unfamiliar tingle in his stomach that he’d felt Saturday night. He also felt a little guilty. Although he and Betty had recently fallen into an easy rhythm of texting each other nearly every day, they’d barely talked since hanging out at the party that weekend. It had been one brief conversation initiated by a meme from Jughead and then nothing more, which Jughead completely owed to his nervousness over his shifting feelings toward Betty.

Betty also had this on her mind, as she’d been going crazy and trying to keep herself from coming on too strong and initiating the ten million text message conversations she’d like to be having with Jughead. But now, fueled by a margarita, Betty approached the counter with confidence. The coffee shop was nearly empty with no one waiting in line, and Cheryl and Toni hung back, both eager to see what Betty would do.

“Hey, stranger,” Betty said, smiling at him as she leaned toward him on the counter.

Jughead leaned in toward her a bit too, matching her smile. “Long time no see,” he said. “Nice outfit,” he said, gesturing toward her navy blue crop top covered in stars and red high-waisted shorts.

“Cheryl lent me some clothes,” Betty said, laughing and pushing back as she crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. “Turns out I don’t have any ‘patriotic-chic’ items in my closet.”

Jughead laughed. “What the hell is ‘patriotic-chic?’”

Betty shrugged. “Apparently this, according to Cheryl. Happy Imperialism Celebration Day.”

“Why, yes, it is a fact that this country was founded on the genocide of Native Americans and enslavement of Africans,” Jughead said.

“Fuck you, America,” Betty said solemnly, and they both stood in silence for a moment.

“So, not to be disrespectful to our nation’s dark history, but do you want some coffee?” Jughead asked.

Betty grinned. “Why, yes. Just a medium iced coffee.” She watched him get to work on her coffee. He appeared to be the only one working. “We already drank margaritas at Kevin and Moose’s, and I need to be able to stay awake for the rest of the day.”

“Oh, so you returned to the scene of the crime? How was that?” Jughead said, plopping her coffee down in front of her. “Oh, wait, you like cream and sugar, right?”

Betty nodded, happy he remembered. “Cream, two sugars.” While he bustled around, she said, “And the party was so boring and terrible. Just toxic masculinity as far as the eye could see. So we came here to visit you and get some of the good stuff.” She winced a little at her own words. Was she laying it on too thick? The margarita was doing things to her diction.

Jughead gave her the coffee, and accepted her cash. “Well, I’m happy you came. It’s great to see you,” he said, locking eyes with her for a moment before turning to Cheryl and Toni, still standing a little distance behind Betty. “You two want anything?”

After Cheryl and Toni had gotten their coffees, the three of them sat at a table not too far from the counter, brainstorming about what to do with the rest of their day. “The day is young, maybe we should just drive out to Revere Beach or something,” Cheryl was suggesting to Toni’s nodding. 

Betty was barely paying attention, sneaking glances at Jughead as he made three girls’ drinks. One of the girls was clearly flirting with him, and she watched the way he deflected, looking uncomfortable. She felt a pang of hope in her heart, knowing that she’d never seen his face look like that around her. As the customers walked away, Jughead locked eyes with her and motioned for her to come over. Betty quickly got up and joined Jughead by the counter.

“Hey, Jug, what’s up?” she said, smiling.

Jughead had a sly smile on his face when he produced a chocolate chip muffin for her from behind his back. “Word on the street is that you’re craving a chocolate chip muffin from here,” he said.

Betty laughed. “Oh. My. GOD. You are the best. How much do I owe you?”

Jughead shook his head, giving her the muffin. “On the house. Hey, how did your niece and nephew’s doctor appointments go?”

Betty blushed, remembering talking to him about this last weekend while they were in Kevin’s room. “They went great. Both healthy and ready for first grade.”

Jughead smiled. “That’s awesome.” It looked like he was going to say something more, but the bell on the door dinged, revealing a group of four entering the coffee shop. Jughead shot her an apologetic look as he went to help them, and Betty went back to sit with Cheryl and Toni with her muffin.

Betty quickly became engaged in the conversation as they made their plans for the rest of the day off, eating her muffin and sneaking glances at Jughead as he helped customers. It was suddenly busy, everyone clearly getting their coffee and snacks before hitting barbeques or the beach.

“We should really go change into our bathing suits if we’re gonna drive to Revere,” Cheryl said, following Betty’s eyeline to where she was watching Jughead help a seemingly never-ending line of customers, but saying nothing.

“You’re right,” Betty said, tearing her eyes away and sighing slightly. “Let’s get out of here.” All three of them waved to Jughead as they threw out their coffee cups and headed for the door.

As Jughead saw Cheryl, Toni, and Betty get up and give him a wave, he felt a pang of sadness hit his stomach. He had selfishly hoped Betty would be sitting there when his shift was over, had envisioned himself walking over and inviting her to come along to JP with him to the barbeque he was headed to after this. He saw her shoot him one last look, a twinkle in her eye, and he gulped. Suddenly, he felt like he was seeing Betty as everyone else saw her. His eyes hungrily took in the curve of her bare back in the crop top and trailed down her long legs in the high-waisted red shorts as she walked out of the coffee shop. He wanted to run after her and tell her to come back. Wanted to hold her hand, look into her green eyes for longer. Fuck, he thought. FUCK.

“Let me grab your coffee,” Jughead quickly said to the customer he was helping, who was looking at him strangely. 

As he poured cold brew into the dude’s cup, he thought about nothing but Betty. There was a tension there. A new layer added to what he felt when he looked at her. He thought back to what Toni had said on Saturday night: “I promise you that when you’re ready, you’ll know it.” 

He pictured something he hadn’t allowed himself to picture in a couple weeks, and suddenly knew one thing for certain. When Betty walked out of the coffee shop, he’d wanted to kiss her goodbye.


	7. July 8, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending days writing about his newfound feelings for Betty, Jughead is convinced by Toni to come with her to bar night. Or: Betty and Jughead finally come face to face for the first time since Jughead realized he is attracted to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love for Chapter 6!! It's indescribably wonderful to see people just as excited about this story as I am. Here ya go, Chapter 7 is here. Hope y'all enjoy and let me know what you thought. xoxo Maria

Sunday, July 8

Betty was buzzing: literally and figuratively. She had just queued up some amateur couple video on PornHub that looked hot enough and was just about to settle in to relieve some of her sexual tension with Jughead with her vibrator hovering over her clit, when Cheryl knocked on the door. 

“One second, I’m coming!” Betty called, pulling down her dress with a scowl on her face. “Just kidding, I would be if you hadn’t rudely interrupted me,” she said as she opened the door, an irritated look on her face.

“Haha, Betty,” Cheryl said in a flat voice. “But seriously, why didn’t you buy the low-buzz one like I instructed you? I should not be able to hear you wanking from the hall.” 

“The student becomes the master, Cheryl,” Betty said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. “Plus, if I have to hear you and Toni’s loud sex, then you have to hear my loud masturbation and letting out of pent-up horniness!” 

Cheryl laughed. “Toni told me she still has a good feeling about Jughead and you, though. Be patient a little while longer.” 

Betty flushed and nodded. She’d been restless about Jughead all week, going over every look, touch, and flirtatious comment from Saturday night. Not to mention the adorable look on his face when he’d offered her a muffin at the coffee shop on Wednesday.

Since that day, she’d typed and deleted at least a dozen text messages to Jughead, dismissing each one as coming on too strong. He hadn’t reached out either, and Betty’s mind felt like an endless whirlpool made of worst-case scenarios. Plus, she was clearly as attracted to him as ever, which was difficult considering she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Now, come on, the reason I knocked in the first place is because you must’ve lost track of time!” Cheryl said, cutting through Betty’s anxious mess of Jughead feelings. She’d been on the receiving end of Betty’s anguish all week, reminding her “patience is a virtue, B” over joints, bowls, and, most elaborately, a carefully-designed cheese plate.

“We’re meeting Kevin and the Pussycats at the bar for drinks and darts in...two minutes. I wanted to interrupt before you got too...into it,” Cheryl added, her eyes landing not-so-subtly on the vibrator still in Betty’s hand. Betty smirked and put it back in her drawer before standing up to get ready.

“Are you sure he’s interested?” she asked as she applied eyeliner at her vanity. “He hasn’t texted me since we saw him on Wednesday and we usually at least text about the homework for class.”

“Girl, tell me something I don’t know. We literally had this exact discussion yesterday,” Cheryl said, rolling her eyes and leaning against the doorframe.

Betty sighed, capping her eyeliner and running a brush through her hair. With her eyes still trained on her reflection, she said, “I’m just so into him, Cheryl. I don’t think I’ve ever been this into anyone.” She turned to look at her best friend, whose face had changed to concern for Betty. 

Cheryl rushed over and gave Betty a quick hug. “I know that feeling,” she said quietly. “It scared the living shit out of me with Toni.”

“I remember.”

“Then you’ll also remember it took me like, a month between realizing I liked her as much more than just a hook-up and the two of us coming clean about our feelings for each other,” Cheryl said, pulling back and placing her hands on her hips. “So what I need you to do, Betty, is buck up and come to the bar with me and have fun with your friends. It doesn’t help anyone to wallow in it. And patience is a lot easier with a distraction.”

Betty smiled and stood up from her vanity, grabbing her jean jacket and tucking a joint canister into the pocket. “You’re right, let’s get outta here.”

Meanwhile, over at Toni and Jughead’s, Toni was getting ready to hit the bar as well. Sweet Pea and Fangs were playing video games and drinking beer, deciding to stay in for the night. Toni knocked on Jughead’s door to see if he wanted to come, remembering that he never answered her text in the group chat that Cheryl specifically invited all of them to bar night.

Jughead was sitting in front of his computer, writing at warp speed about this sudden revelation of attraction to Betty. It was an entirely new feeling, something he’d never had access to or been able to put words to before. Since Wednesday, the feelings were coming out in a seemingly never-ending rush and he wanted to get it all down, in case it somehow went away again. In case this was it. He’d been at it in nearly all his non-working hours since his epiphany. And the worst part was, he’d been so nervous he hadn’t texted Betty all week. 

Toni knocked louder this time, and Jughead rolled his eyes, barking at her to come in and hitting save one last time. 

“There you are, feel like I haven’t seen you all week,” Toni said, folding her arms and peering curiously at the text on Jughead’s laptop screen.

Jughead scowled and quickly shut his laptop, turning around to face Toni. “What’s up, Topaz?” he asked in an exasperated tone.

“Don’t get sassy with me, Jones,” Toni said. “Since you refused to answer my text, I’m just wondering if you’re coming to meet Cheryl and Betty and co at the bar with me.” She paused, watching as his face turned from exasperated to nervous at the sound of Betty’s name. “You were specifically invited,” Toni added.

Jughead threw his head into his hands and Toni rushed over to him, resting her arm on his shoulder with a concerned look on her face. “What’s going on?” 

Jughead finally looked up. “I need to talk to you before I can tell you if I’m coming to the bar,” he said.

Toni’s eyes widened, her mind already rushing to the subject of Betty and filling in the possible blanks in excitement. She immediately crossed the room and shut the door, certain there was no way Jughead was ready for Fangs or Sweet Pea to hear this yet. She sat on Jughead’s bed and faced him, still sitting on his desk chair looking entirely overwhelmed.

He finally looked up at Toni, piercing her with an earnest look. “I have no idea why it happened then, but when you and Cheryl and Betty visited me at the coffee shop on the 4th, I…” As Jughead paused, Toni’s eyes were still wide as she impatiently waited for him to finish. “...I realized that I’m INTO Betty. I’m attracted to her. I suddenly can picture myself doing all the things everyone else always wants to do, because I’m picturing it with her.” His words came out in a rush, the look on his face as if even he couldn’t believe what he was saying. It was how he’d felt all week, this desperate need to write it down to convince himself that it wasn’t gonna go away, that the only way forward was to tell Betty. 

He had never been so nervous and unsure in his life. His default state, the way he had been for his entire 21 years of living, was as an observer, sitting on the sidelines watching as his friends and acquaintances fell in and out of love, kissing and dancing and crying and fucking and touching in ways he could never understand. He listened, he watched, doled out probably not-great advice when asked, but he never, ever could understand why any of them put themselves through it. 

Toni, Sweet Pea, Fangs, they’d all offered him explanations when solicited. It was mostly back in the teenage years, when Jughead had been desperate to find out why he didn’t want this thing that the actions of everyone else around him seemed to be driven by every day. They’d put words to desire and attraction, trying their best to explain this insatiable pull each of them had felt toward boyfriends and girlfriends and hook-ups. Back then, he would nod and listen and try his hardest to relate, trying to picture himself in one of their places. But he could never connect the dots, could never picture himself making the decisions they had. Never had someone occupied the space where his lover would go in the scenario. 

He had simply never been able to picture it, finally concluding he was demisexual after much Internet research and worrying and writing out his feelings. The college years so far had found Jughead carefully settled in his place, pessimistically assuming he wouldn’t find that emotional connection with anyone any time in the foreseeable future. He had been warming the bench for so long, sitting back on the sidelines watching his friends contentedly...until Wednesday, when his entire worldview had been shattered. 

Each of these scenarios his 17-year-old self had once tried desperately to picture himself a part of with no results? They had lodged themselves seemingly permanently in his brain. Yes, he wanted to kiss Betty. He wanted to make out with her the way he’d watched Sweet Pea and Fangs do with partners dozens of times, in the corner of parties or on the couch in their apartment, a movie or TV show long forgotten on the screen. Of each scenario he’d dared himself to picture he and Betty in since Wednesday, there were none Jughead objected to. Jughead had not yet found the limit of what he would enjoy doing with Betty Cooper. And he was scared out of his goddamn mind.

The second Jughead said he was INTO Betty, a huge grin spread across Toni’s face, her hopes about where this conversation could be going realized. Toni squealed, causing Jughead to shoot her a confused look. 

“I’m sorry, that was a very un-Toni-like sound,” she said. “I’m just so happy for you!” 

“I think you’re spending too much time over at Cheryl and Betty’s,” Jughead said, giving her a stern look.

“From the sounds of it, you’re not spending ENOUGH time at Cheryl and Betty’s,” Toni countered, her smile turning suggestive. Suddenly, she slapped his leg. 

“Ow!”

“The 4th of July was WEDNESDAY. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“You’ve been at Cheryl’s all week!” Jughead reminded her.

Toni nodded, conceding, and waited for Jughead to continue. This was his first crush, the first girl he had ever seriously considered pursuing. She was not going to push him...not too hard, at least. 

“How do you even know Betty definitely likes me like that?” Jughead asked out of nowhere, although Toni suspected this had been on his mind all week. “We never really said more than friends.”

Toni gave him a look that said plainly: are you fucking KIDDING me, Jones? Because Jughead knew he was kidding himself. A couple girls had liked him before. There had been a girl who had tried to pursue him after kissing him in a game of Spin the Bottle at a party his friends dragged him to freshman year of high school. That had technically been his first kiss, although he had felt nothing when the girl’s lips had landed on his. He’d just sat there, without really reciprocating, until she pulled away with a huge smile on her face. It had been her first kiss too, and she clearly hadn’t realized it hadn’t gone as well as it could have. She tried to pursue him for about a week after, finally erupting into tears after Jughead yelled at her to leave him alone to the horror of everyone around them and to himself. He didn’t know why he couldn’t feel what she wanted him to feel. He just knew he COULDN’T. That had been the beginning of the guilt, and the idea that he was sparing others from himself by politely rejecting them outright at the first signs of trouble. He had politely rejected maybe one or two more girls throughout high school, as the years passed and he grew into his looks. 

Then, when he and Toni entered college, they quickly realized that, whereas his beanie had been perceived as weird in high school, the girls in their dorm found it quirky in a cute way. There had been a few girls who had cozied up to him freshman year of college, most of whom he politely rejected. One girl in his hall, Sabrina Spellman, had shared his love of true crime documentaries, so he had struck up a friendship with her, letting Toni allow him to hope that it would maybe turn into something more. She had kissed him twice, and both times he had tried to reciprocate, but had felt, again, nothing. She had run off crying and refused to look at him for the rest of the year, even after he came to her room and explained that he was demisexual, an embarrassed look on his face as she ordered him to leave. She still glared at him when she saw him around campus. The guilty feeling that had built its foundations in high school had only solidified after that, and Jughead had started avoiding parties whenever he could to limit the possible spaces in which he would have to reject anyone or try desperately not to lead anyone on.

But thinking of BETTY? Now, after getting to know her, after seeing that she understood him so deeply so quickly? He had fun with her, something that he could say about very few people in his life. And it wasn’t just that. It was that she made EVERYTHING more fun: their summer class, his shitty barista job any day she happened to stop by, even a fucking HOUSE PARTY. He knew he wanted to get to know her more, wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. He wanted to kiss her. He could finally undo the pain that came from the memories of the only kisses he’d ever had. Maybe, just maybe, he could finally kiss someone and feel what everyone else felt. After all, the first time Betty had flirted with him, touching his arm that fated night in May, he hadn’t flinched. It hadn’t made him get the butterflies he felt in his stomach when Betty touched him on Saturday night, but it had felt okay. With Betty, he had never felt the pure nothingness he felt when other girls had leaned in close. He knew, after days of writing all of this down, that he needed to work up the courage to tell all of this to Betty. Because Jughead knew now with certainty that he could get lost in Betty Cooper.

Toni was still staring at Jughead incredulously at the mere suggestion that Betty wasn’t just as into Jughead as he was now into her. “Trust me, Jughead, you’re coming with me tonight,” Toni said, patting his leg. She got up to leave the room. “Now, get ready. We’re leaving in 10.”

As Jughead jumped quickly in the shower and combed through his wet hair, he couldn’t quell the nervous thoughts about what would happen when he finally came face to face with Betty for the first time since he realized he liked her. Should he wait? It hadn’t been too long, after all, and this was his first crush in 21 years. Surely he needed more time to process. He pulled on a T-shirt and jeans and wrapped a flannel around his waist before rushing out to the living room to tell Toni just that.

Toni followed him back into his room and stood there with her hands on her hips. “I need more time to process!” he insisted at her.

She shook her head. “Jughead, it seems like you’ve been non-stop writing about this for DAYS.” She jerked her head in the direction of his closed laptop. “Am I right?”

Jughead allowed a smile to cover his face as he nodded. “You would be correct,” he said sheepishly.

“You’ve processed enough. It’s time to do,” Toni said, looking him straight in the eyes. When she saw how nervous the look Jughead returned was, Toni’s eyes softened. “It’s now or never, Jones. If you don’t do something tonight, you’ll just talk yourself out of it later. Why not jump into it now, when the feelings are fresh and raw? Why not try?”

Jughead gulped and nodded, grateful for the wisdom of his much more experienced friend. “You’re right, Toni. Thanks for being here for me.”

Toni smiled and gave him a quick hug. “I’m always here, you know that. Now, square your shoulders and walk out of here. We’re going to get your girl.”

Jughead flushed and was about to protest, but Toni turned and walk out of the room before he could sputter out a retort.

When Toni and Jughead finally walked into the bar ten minutes later, Jughead’s palms clammy and his eyes darting around the room immediately, they found that the Pussycats, Betty, Cheryl, Kevin, and Reggie were all huddled around a dartboard with drinks in hand. Still early in the night, many of the tables were empty, providing a clear shot of Reggie placing his hand on the small of Betty’s back while she was throwing a dart. Jughead narrowed his eyes. 

“Easy, Jug. First night truly in the game and you’re already glaring at dudes? It’s like the masculinity switch was turned on,” Toni said, laughing as she followed his eyeline.

Jughead shook his head. “I just don’t like that dude. He gives me patriarchal vibes.” 

Toni nodded. “Can’t argue with you there.” As Toni ordered a drink at the bar and Jughead waited beside her, they ignored Reggie and Betty for the time being. Cheryl spotted them and came over. 

“What’s going on with…” Toni was about to ask, until she heard Betty raise her voice from across the room.

“Reggie, if we’re gonna stay friends like we said last fucking year, you need to STOP. TOUCHING. ME!” Betty yelled.

Kevin pushed Reggie away from Betty and started chastising him for her, occasionally shooting apologetic and guilty looks back at Betty, who crossed her arms and rolled her eyes as Reggie gave her half-hearted apologies.

By the bar, Cheryl quickly filled Jughead and Toni in on Reggie and Betty’s brief one month stint of dating sophomore year, which quickly fizzled out when Betty realized she only really liked him as a friend. They watched as Reggie stormed out, with Kevin apologizing profusely to Betty back by the dartboard and the Pussycats all shooting daggers in the direction of where Reggie had exited the bar.

Betty shook her head at Kevin. “It’s not your fault. I know you can’t control everything he does, Kev, even if you try,” she offered him a slight smile to let him know she was serious and his shoulders relaxed as he nodded. 

“I’m not letting it ruin my night,” Betty said. “But I do need to go out for a smoke.” She patted her bag and said, “I’m going outside. Be right back.”

As she started to walk toward the door, she paused by the bar to drop off her near-empty gin and tonic glass with Veronica, who grabbed it appreciatively. That’s when Betty looked up and spotted Cheryl, Jughead, and Toni only a few feet away by the bar, where Toni was already paying the bartender in cash for she and Cheryl’s second drinks. Betty gulped a little upon spotting Jughead standing awkwardly next to them, but gave the entire group a smile and came closer. “Going out for a smoke if anyone wants to join me!” she said, laughing.

Toni looked pointedly at Jughead, and held on Cheryl’s arm when she tried to join Betty to comfort her. Cheryl got the message, her eyes widening with surprise, and Jughead quickly said, “Um, I’ll come.”

Betty gave him a smile, immediately relaxing at the thought of getting to be with Jughead, and they went outside.

Betty walked them about a block away and Betty sat on the curb. “I’m guessing you’re just here for company and not to smoke for the first time on a whim?” Betty asked as she pulled a joint canister and lighter out of her jean jacket pocket and carefully lit up a joint. It was a cooler night, having dipped down to 66 degrees according to Betty’s weather app, and she was happy she’d chosen to wear her jacket. She patted the space on the curb beside her, looking up toward Jughead with a flirtatious grin. She blushed a little when she realized he had just been standing there, arms crossed, watching her with a smile on his face.

“Are you really gonna smoke that whole joint yourself?” Jughead asked, impressed yet again by her stoner prowess. He finally came to sit beside her on the curb.

Betty laughed. “Ohhh, yeah. Cheryl and I face joints all the time when we both have a day off. And if we have a lot of weed, of course. Rolling joints can be expensive. Especially when you’re not sharing! We roll two, though, and go for a walk. Talking about everything and anything. Some of my best conversations have taken place over a joint.” She looked down at it fondly. “No pressure though!” she quickly added, taking a hit.

“None taken,” he said, smiling, a smile that reached his eyes and stayed there. He was so enamored by her babbling and the way she opened up every time she smoked. He understood what she meant that night by the Charles River, which seemed a million years ago now. Weed stripped away her anxieties, the little overthinking tendencies that would keep her from saying what’s really on her mind. He couldn’t imagine this being bottled up. He felt privileged to get to hear what she had to say, and thought again how lucky Toni must be if she was loved by someone who was also loved by Betty Cooper. 

The silence stretched, but not uncomfortably. Betty simply inhaled, held, and breathed a big cloud of thick, white smoke out. She coughed a little, every once in awhile, but Jughead was largely impressed by how much her small frame could handle. He was sure if he had smoked even half of what she had since they’d sat on the curb that he would be hacking up a lung at this point.

“What’s on your mind?” Betty finally asked, tapping some ash that had gathered on the end of the joint into the nearly-empty street.

“You,” Jughead answered, honestly, surprised even with himself at how easily it slipped out.

She looked up quickly, clearly not expecting that answer. But she kept her cool, again reminding herself not to go too fast, not to freak him out. “Oh?” she asked, searching his face for any sign of what he might have meant.

He leaned in closer, grabbing the hand that wasn’t holding the joint, the one that she realized was a little gravelly, having been resting on the dirty concrete curb. She started, looking down at their joined hands with surprise.

“I think I’m attracted to you,” Jughead said, quietly but straightforward. He looked down at the ground on the “I think I’m,” but when he got to the word “attracted,” he locked eyes with her, gauging her reaction with a tiny bit of worry in his voice. “It surprised me, too, since we’ve only really known each other, like, a couple months but…” 

She smiled, and put out the joint on the curb, depositing it in the canister in her jacket pocket and grabbing his other hand so both were joined. “I’m attracted to you, too,” she said, simply. 

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, and Jughead gulped as they both leaned in. After an impossibly long three seconds, their lips finally met. Jughead had never kissed anyone like this, before, wanting it. He thought again of being forced into a couple Spin the Bottle situations early in high school before he realized how much he didn’t want to kiss anyone around him, and started retreating before he could get trapped into some awkward kiss in which he clearly wasn’t into it. And he thought again of trying with Sabrina, of never liking it and finally breaking it off. 

This was something completely different. When their lips touched, it felt right. A sort of tingly feeling of giddiness seemed to fill Jughead to his core, and for the first time, he didn’t want to stop kissing someone. Betty smiled into the kiss, and opened her eyes. When she saw his were still shut, she grabbed his face tenderly and kissed him with a gentle fervor, which he returned. When he finally opened his eyes, her hands were still cupping his cheek and she was smiling at him, her cheeks tinted with a slight blush.

“Hey,” she said, blushing even more.

He couldn’t help returning a nervous smile and his own blush. “Hey.” He brought his hands to hers and slowly pushed them off his face and entangled their fingers. “That was nice,” he said. “My first real kiss,” he added, softly.

She squeezed his hand, and smiled at him. “That’s why I was so flustered,” she admitted, turning her head away a bit. “I knew how much this meant to you - or at least between what you and Toni have told me, I gathered how much it meant - and I wanted to make sure it was right, and good. And I was also…” she hesitated, looking down at the ground for a second.

He tugged on her hand. “What?” he asked.

When she looked back up at him, her eyes had a playful glint to them, one he already noticed she only got when she was a little baked. “I was also, like, so HAPPY that you wanted to have that kiss...with me. I was just basking in the reality that you’re attracted to me too. Not that, like...I would be devastated if you hadn’t been, because I get it…” she blushed even harder, trying to pull her hand away in embarrassment, but he held firm onto it. “I feel like I’m putting my foot in my mouth and I’m going to offend you.”

Jughead laughed. “You’re not! I get what you’re saying. You’re so much more cool with all this demi stuff than, like...anyone I’ve ever met and told it to. Especially since…” he took his hand out of hers to make a gesture between them, indicating whatever mutual attraction was now out in the open in the space there.

She nodded, smiling and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Mind if I finish this J?” she asked sheepishly, picking up the long-forgotten lighter from the sidewalk beside her, and retrieving it from her jean jacket as she dropped his hand with a clear look of regret on her face that comforted him.

“Oh! No, I don’t mind at all,” he said, smiling and tapping his hands on his legs restlessly, trying to process everything that had just happened.

“Cool,” she said with pep to her voice, as she lit the joint up again and breathed in her first hit. “And, again, no pressure. But know...you’re always welcome to a hit. Or many. Whenever and if-ever the urge hits you. Don’t hesitate. Just grab this thing right out of my hand and go for it.” She was laughing by the end, and so was he. 

“So…” Betty said, not sure where to go from that earth-shattering kiss to where they were now. It was why she’d needed to finish the joint, to ground herself on this curb where she’d smoked so many joints on so many Sunday nights. To remind herself this was real, and begin to place Jughead into her reality, sitting beside her as she did what she always did. She liked it. She liked having him here. “How was the rest of your 4th of July?”

Jughead laughed, impressed that Betty had asked such a seemingly innocuous question without realizing that it had the exact answer she was trying to avoid. But one he was finally ready and willing to give.

Betty looked amused that her question had elicited such a response. “What’s so funny?” she asked, bumping him playfully.

He smiled and leaned in closer, putting his hand over the one she had resting on the curb. He looked down at their hands, a little too shy to look in her eyes as he said, “I may or may not have realized I was attracted to you on the 4th of July. Specifically, when you were in the coffee shop.”

Betty blushed and smiled down at their hands. He finally gained the courage to look back up at her. “So what were you doing for the last few days since the 4th of July?” Betty asked, confused.

“Writing about you, pretty much,” Jughead said easily. Talking about his writing came a lot easier to him than talking about romantic feelings.

Betty looked shocked and flustered. “You wrote about ME?” she asked.

Jughead nudged her shoulder with his own, bringing them closer together. “It wasn’t the first time,” he said softly. 

Betty looked into his eyes, so soft and gentle. She put out her joint, putting it back in the canister in her pocket before leaning in. She cupped his face, her eyes silently asking if it was okay. He nodded, leaning in to meet her as she gave him another, slower kiss. He closed his eyes, letting himself get lost in the moment. _This is what everyone was talking about._

When she finally pulled back, she rested her head on his shoulder and lit up the last third of her joint. They sat in comfortable silence for a minute as Betty took a few hits, shutting her eyes and basking in the simplicity of her head resting on his warm shoulder. “Tell me about your week,” Jughead finally said, breaking the silence in a quiet voice. “I was too nervous to text you and now I’ve missed out on like, four days’ worth of Betty observations,” he added, back to his usual flirtatious voice that Betty was used to and loved.

Betty smiled, opening her eyes and looking up at him with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Let me finish this joint, and then I’ll catch you up.” Jughead laughed, putting his arm around Betty as she adjusted herself and continued to smoke with her head nestled into his side.

By the time Betty finally flicked the tiny roach into the street, Jughead was pretty much sure she was the highest he’d ever seen her. He was worried that would be a bad thing, but she truly looked so relaxed and happy, her eyes almost permanently lidded with laughter, somehow. He understood now, completely. He understood why she smoked the way she did. It allowed herself to slowly unwrap herself, layer by layer, and lay herself bare for the person she was with. And he had a feeling that she didn’t get this close with too many people.

“Okay,” she said, sitting up slightly and looking Jughead in the eyes. “Let me tell you everything you missed in the wild, wild world of Urban Outfitters this week.”

Long after Betty’s joint had gone out, Cheryl and Toni came out looking for Betty and Jughead to find the pair still talking animatedly on the curb, Betty still tucked into Jughead’s side. They gave each other excited looks, both trying their hardest not to scream in excitement as they started walking toward Betty and Jughead.

Jughead stood up, holding out a hand to pick Betty up from the ground and keeping a grip on her hand as she dusted off her butt with the other. She smiled up at him. They both looked up in surprise when they heard Cheryl and Toni’s voices.

“Hey, y’all. We just wanted to see what you were up to,” Toni said cautiously.

Jughead, still holding Betty’s hand as they faced Cheryl and Toni, said pointedly, “I actually think I’ll walk Betty home now, if you don’t mind?” Betty nodded and smiled in agreement.

Cheryl and Toni got the hint, both looking impressed as they watched Jughead and Betty’s retreating figures disappear in the direction of Cheryl and Betty’s apartment, hands clasped and swinging between them.

The walk home was easy, as talking about the memoir they were reading in their postcolonial studies class gave way to talking about another memoir Jughead had recently liked that he thought Betty would enjoy. Just like Jughead had spent days writing about, everything with Betty was fun and always more simple than he expected it to be. Their conversation always flowed easily and they understood each other so effortlessly. 

Before either wanted the conversation to end, they found themselves standing in Betty’s walkway, nervous excitement mirrored in each other’s eyes.

“I don’t know...how to do this?” Jughead said, quietly, looking down at their still-entwined hands. “Or how fast I can go. Or…”

Betty grabbed his face, and kissed him again, short but purposeful. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, which slowly blinked open. “Was that okay?” she whispered. 

When he nodded, she said, “It’s okay if we have to go slow. Or if...if we don’t know what ‘this’ is yet. I’m not in a rush. And I get it. Or at least I’m trying to, as best as I can, every day. I can never completely get it, but the best that I can.”

Jughead smiled. “I can never completely get your way either.” 

They both laughed, and Betty nodded. “True.” She hadn’t verbalized any of her desires, but he could tell she had them. 

“But that’s okay,” she added after a silence. “We’ll learn. Both of us.”

He breathed in deep and then looked up at her, smirking. “I’ll call you tomorrow? We can make some sort of a plan to see each other again?”

A smile spread across her face yet again. “Perfect, can’t wait.” She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Good night, Jughead.” She walked up the wooden porch steps and disappeared inside the apartment, and Jughead watched her go, already missing the feeling of her standing and smiling next to him. He was in so deep with Betty Cooper. But for the first time, he realized as he turned to walk in the direction of his own apartment, he was unafraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH so I've had the bones of this chapter written since I first started planning this story and I'm so excited for people to finally read it!! Feelings are finally out in the open! I know this chapter was shorter but I really wanted to isolate this important moment for both of them. And I promise there will be a lot more Bughead in every chapter from here on out now that they're starting to figure out how to be together! And don't forget, Jughead still has to consider embarking on a weed journey...
> 
> More coming soon, hope y'all enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought. Your comments really help keep me going! Lots of love, Maria


	8. July 9 - 13, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s a goddamn fluff fest staring one blissed out Betty Cooper and one flirtatious, sexually awakened Jughead! Although they have yet to confirm any sort of relationship status, Betty and Jughead go on a couple full-fledged dates…not to mention hanging out with Betty’s entire friend group for the first time since they finally kissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a monster to write, for a couple reasons: one of them being bc of some personal shit (my parents are getting divorced and it’s a hot mess & at the same time work is insane!), and the other being that I wanted to show the beginnings of a college relationship, how this part of your life lends itself to free time and how quickly you can end up completely immersed in someone. I think you’ll find that in this chapter both Betty and Jughead become immersed in the best ways. Anyway, the story continues! tho probably at a slower pace at times due to the aforementioned life things. Hope y’all enjoy! Please comment if you liked it, your feedback means the world :)

early morning, Monday, July 9, 2018

Cheryl and Toni waited until Betty and Jughead’s retreating figures had completely disappeared into the distance before letting out shrieks of excitement, Toni’s tiny frame bouncing up and down as she clapped her hands together.

“I can’t believe they actually…” Cheryl paused, realizing she wasn’t _actually_ sure what Betty and Jughead had done. 

Toni’s face betrayed a similar hint of confusion. “Fuck. We don’t know what actually happened!” Toni said. “But it looked good.”

“Yes, it _definitely_ looked good. Like they talked about their feelings.” Cheryl paused. “We gotta smoke.” She grabbed a joint canister out of her own bag, almost identical to Betty’s, and lit the end of a joint. She breathed out a long hit and passed it to Toni, who took an equally long hit. 

“Okay,” Toni said, shaking her shoulders out as Cheryl took a couple more hits. “We know with certainty they both have feelings.”

Cheryl nodded, passing the joint. “And we know they left here holding hands. A very good sign.”

Toni bobbed her head enthusiastically, a smile spreading across her face as she remembered the image. “They’re so cute,” she gushed.

Cheryl looked impressed. “So cute. Like, only a fraction less cute than us.”

Toni smirked, moving in closer to Cheryl as she blew out her hit. “No one’s cuter than us, babe.”

Cheryl took a long drag off the joint, her eyes never leaving Toni’s. “No one.” 

“So...are you trying to get out of here?” Toni asked, wrapping her arm around Cheryl’s shoulder. 

Cheryl giggled. “Of course I am.” 

They both moved to walk in separate directions, stopping in their tracks when they realized they hadn’t decided whose apartment to go to.

“Where are you going, TT?” Cheryl asked, pouting.

“To my place, of course,” Toni said, challenging Cheryl’s disgusted look. (Cheryl was thinking, of course, that she was not properly equipped with the extra roll of toilet paper she usually brought to Toni’s house of unclean college-age men.) “I have to ask Jughead what happened. You know he’ll be up all night writing, so we can bang for as long as we want and then get the gossip afterwards.”

Cheryl narrowed her eyes. “But Betty will need to talk to someone, Toni. I can’t have her going home to an empty apartment when something major clearly happened between her and Jughead!”

They both looked at each other, equal levels of lust and concern in their eyes. “Okay, so how about this?” Toni said after thirty seconds of quiet scheming. “We each go back to our own apartment, talk to our best friend about what happened. Once we’ve done maximum comforting and have found out what happened…”

Cheryl nodded, liking the plan.

“...you sneak back out to my place so I can properly ravish you,” Toni concluded, moving to wrap her arm around Cheryl again, but Cheryl pushed her away playfully.

“To your place? Dear God, why? Just come to mine when you’re done with Jughead! Betty will pass out immediately, trust me,” she said, laughing.

“But that’s exactly why you have to come to my place!” Toni insisted, fixing Cheryl with a pleading look. “If I know Jughead, he’ll be staying up all night writing about whatever happened, and he’ll probably be insecure if he pours his heart out to me about me what happened with his first ever crush and then hears me run out the door to go tell you and Betty what I heard.” She paused. “Wow, things really are more complicated suddenly. I guess I get what Betty meant about ‘complicating things’ at the beginning of all this.”

Cheryl and Toni fixed each other with concerned looks at first, but then started laughing, holding their stomachs as they pondered the ridiculousness of it all, this tangled web of friendship and attraction and flirtation.

“Okay, okay,” Cheryl conceded, grabbing Toni’s hips and pulling her closer. “I will talk to Betty, wait for her to fall asleep, grab the necessities to spend a night at your apartment,” she shot Toni a pointed look. “And then I will come over.” She whispered in her ear, “And rock your world.” Toni shuddered, and they leaned in for a long kiss. 

\---

Ten minutes later, Cheryl finally unlocked the door to her apartment, her stomach filled with nervous excitement in anticipation of her conversation with Betty. Betty had been talking about Jughead so much for so long, verbalizing all her worries and hang-ups in the hazy safety of their apartment, and Cheryl couldn’t be happier for her friend that she’d finally made it to the next step.

She found most of the lights off in the common space, save for the warm glow of the lamp they always kept on in the corner of the living room. The hallway light was off too. Not a good sign. Cheryl sighed as she crept down the quiet hall to Betty’s room. _Could she really have fallen asleep so quickly?_

The door was slightly ajar, the room lit only by the lamp on Betty’s nightstand and the only sound the slight whir of the air conditioning unit. Cheryl nudged her head against the door, looking in to find Betty’s mini bong sitting on her nightstand next to her vibrator, which Betty’s hand was reaching out toward in her slumber, a slight smile on her face.

Cheryl laughed quietly at the image, knowing from past experience that Betty was deep in sleep and wouldn’t wake. “Typical horny virgin,” she muttered, pressing a soft kiss to Betty’s temple and leaving the room. In the hall, she immediately texted Kevin.

CHERYL:  
Still at the bar?

KEVIN:  
Yeppp. Last call’s in ten, wanna have one last drink?

Cheryl smirked.

CHERYL:  
On my way bb!

She entered her room, grabbing an extra roll of toilet paper and her sexiest pair of pajamas from the closet and tucking them into her bag. As she locked the apartment behind her, she quickly shot off a text to Toni.

CHERYL:  
B passed out before I could get to her! Gonna have a last call drink with Kev. Text me when you’re done and I’ll head over.

TONI:  
Damn, Betty! I’m about to enter Jughead’s room, wish me luck. I’ll let you know when we’re done. xo

Toni stood outside Jughead’s door, nervous about what state of anxiety Jughead could be in on the other side. She knocked tentatively, relieved when she heard a rushed “Come in!” from the other side. As suspected, Jughead was sitting at his desk once again, typing furiously. 

“Hey, Jug,” Toni said, shutting the door behind her and returning to her spot on the bed. It somehow felt like a million years ago that she had been sitting here, trying to convince Jughead to take a chance on his feelings for Betty, but it had only been a few hours before. It already felt like things had shifted, and Toni didn’t even know yet what exactly had happened between Betty and Jughead outside the bar.

Jughead held up a finger to Toni, writing for another minute or so before hitting save, closing his laptop, and turning around in his chair to face Toni. “Hey,” he finally said, a smile spreading across his face.

Toni smiled back, his happiness contagious. She wasn’t used to Jughead giving up his feelings so quickly, and she knew it had to be a good sign. “Sooo, come on, Jones. What happened out there tonight?”

“Cutting right to the chase,” Jughead said, smirking and leaning back in his chair.

“Seems appropriate, given the situation!” Toni insisted, grabbing one of Jughead’s pillows from the top of his bed and laying her torso on it. “Okay, I’m ready. Tell me the story.”

“As long as you’re comfortable,” Jughead laughed. “But...okay. So, I don’t know, at first she was just smoking and we were talking like normal, but I just kinda...was honest. She asked what I was thinking about and I told her the answer, and we admitted we’re attracted to each other.”

Toni squealed, gripping the pillow tightly. Jughead shot her a “really, Toni?” look, but continued his story anyway. “And then...we kissed. Actually, I think we kissed about three times tonight.” He blushed at the memory, a smile spreading across his face once again, and Toni squealed again.

“Toni, it is nearly 2 AM!” Jughead snapped. “I don’t want Sweet Pea and Fangs waking up and hearing your squealing, connecting the dots.”

Toni nodded, suddenly feeling guilty and dramatically slapping a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, Jug, you’re right. I’m just so happy for you.” She paused. “How do you feel?”

Jughead’s face softened, smiling at the question. “I feel good,” he said, a look of surprise coming over his own face at the realization. “Wow, that’s not something I’m used to saying,” he added, laughing. 

“You’re such a self-deprecating piece of shit and I love you,” Toni said, smiling at her friend, finally smitten with a girl who was good for him.

“It’s true,” Jughead said.

“But, seriously, Jug, I know this is all new territory for you, so I just wanted to say...I’m always here to talk about it. Any of it. I promise if there’s something you really don’t want Betty to know, I can try to not tell Cheryl.” She paused. “But I have to tell you, it’s very hard to get things past Cheryl. She’s like...a sexy gothic witch.” Jughead laughed at the comparison. “But I will try!” Toni insisted. “For you.”

“You’re a good friend, Toni. I’m lucky to have you,” Jughead said quietly. “But you don’t have to worry about that. I think honesty has been a cornerstone of whatever this ‘thing’ between Betty and I are since day one. I won’t tell you anything I’m not going to tell her.”

“Good. That’s a good way to go into this, Jug,” Toni said, reaching over to briefly squeeze his hand. “I’m proud of you for following this attraction even though it’s unfamiliar and scary, and giving it a real shot. I think you guys could have something really wonderful.”

“I think so too,” Jughead said, smiling at the memory of the look on Betty’s face after they’d pulled back from their first kiss. As Toni and Jughead sat in silence, he watched Toni’s phone light up, and smirked. “Now, Toni, you run along and find Cheryl, tell her the coast is clear. I will put on my headphones while you do your business.”

Toni’s mouth opened wide in shock. “I...we weren’t…”

Jughead smirked at Toni. “I believe Betty and Kevin call situations like these ‘Choni schemes.’”

Toni rolled her eyes. “I may have heard that one before.” She got up from the bed, pausing at the door to open the text from Cheryl.

CHERYL:  
Got too impatient. Outside your apartment waiting whenever you’re ready ;)

Toni bit her lip, her stomach warming at the thought of the night ahead. “Good night, Jug,” she said softly, looking up from her phone to find that Jughead’s back was to her, his laptop already open again as he resumed his position typing furiously. Toni smiled, closing the door quietly behind her and rushing to let Cheryl in.

Jughead sat at his laptop, headphones on as promised, trying to capture the feeling of joy and giddiness and possibility welling up inside him ever since his first kiss with Betty. He had never connected to someone like that, hadn’t understood before how much physical intimacy with the right person could make him feel like he...well, _belonged_ in this wordless way.

To know that Betty could know him as well as she now did and still want to share something like that kiss with him...it made him feel less alone, somehow, in the world. He knew he wanted to see her again soon. In fact, he’d never felt this need he currently felt to be around Betty about anyone. 

Still typing furiously, he shot a glance at the time in the corner of his screen. 3:03 AM. He leaned back for a second, stretching his arms out and opening his mouth wide in an experimental yawn. He closed his eyes, let himself lean back with them closed for a good minute. Nothing. Wide awake. He shook his head, stretching his hands out again and returning his fingers to their familiar motion of tapping on keys.

\---

Betty was getting ready for work in her silent but bright kitchen. A quick inspection of Cheryl’s room had revealed that Cheryl had stayed in Toni’s apartment, a true rarity for her. Betty wondered if Cheryl would talk to Jughead before she came home. What would he say?

A smile bloomed across her face at the thought of her kisses with Jughead the night before. It had never felt like that with anyone she’d been with previously, like her entire body was warm. Like, really warm. Warm in a hot-cup-of-coffee-on-a-cold-Sunday kinda way. Like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. It made her tingle with excitement at the thought of getting to see him again soon, to kiss him again and flirt unabashedly, mutual feelings now finally out in the open.

Just as Betty was beginning to pack her backpack for work, she heard her phone ring from the kitchen counter. She rushed over, her face lighting up when she saw Jughead’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Jug,” Betty said, smiling into the phone.

“Good morning. How’d you sleep?” Jughead said, a hint of sarcasm to his voice. 

“I’m assuming much better than you,” Betty immediately said. “Another sleepless night?”

“Sadly,” Jughead said. “Thankfully, I had a lot to write about last night.” 

Betty blushed at the suggestive tone to his voice. _Oh my God, did he write about me again?_

“I’d love to read it,” Betty said breathlessly.

Jughead laughed. “Not so fast. Only a few kisses in and you already have your eyes on the prize?”

Betty shook her head, blushing. “Oh, I can be patient. Just watch me.”

“Well, I’m finding myself really fucking impatient, actually,” Jughead said. Betty could picture him rubbing the back of his neck from the adorably nervous tone in his voice as he trailed off.

“Oh, yeah?” Betty asked, dropping her voice flirtatiously.

“Yeah. So when are you free to hang out?”

Betty’s stomach warmed at the thought of getting to kiss Jughead again. “How about tomorrow night? I get off at 7,” she said, not wanting to sound too desperate. She was working day shifts for most of the week, so could technically hang out that night if he wanted, but Betty didn’t trust herself to be patient and slow with Jughead if she saw him so soon. She had to remind himself that being with someone was an entirely new experience for Jughead, and to try to take it slow, as much as she wanted to jump his bones.

“I get off at 6, so that should work great,” Jughead said. “I can come pick you up at Urban. Maybe we can go somewhere in Harvard Square?”

Betty smiled, thinking of the first time they’d hung out after work in Harvard Square at Charlie’s. “That would be perfect. I’ll mull over which place would work best. You just meet me outside Urban at 7.” 

“Perfect,” Jughead said. “I gotta head to work now.” Betty could hear the regret in his voice.

“Same,” Betty said, mirroring his tone. “Until tomorrow night?”

“Yes. Well, except for the texts I will definitely be sending you later.”

Betty blushed. “Can’t wait. Talk to you later.”

 

Tuesday, July 10

Jughead arrived early to Harvard Square, finding himself bouncing on the balls of his feet as he impatiently waited outside the doors to Urban Outfitters. He shook his head in disgust, thinking of all the things Betty always said to make fun of her workplace as he scanned the elaborate displays in the purposefully-destroyed-glass windows.

Betty finally emerged from the doors, a black cloth bag printed with “Urban Outfitters” in aggressive white lettering balanced on her arm. “Hey, you,” she said, finding him immediately and allowing a grin to spread across her face.

Jughead smiled, making a move toward her, but Betty was one step ahead of him. All thoughts of taking it slow seemed to fly out the window the second she locked eyes with him. She dropped the bag to her feet and grabbed his face between her hands, and he leaned in as their lips crashed together. Both their eyes closed, Jughead nearly forgot they were in public as their lips moved softly together. Betty finally pulled back, Jughead’s face still in her hands. “Wanted to give you a proper hello,” she whispered.

He grinned. “I’m not complaining.”

They pulled back and Betty picked her bag up off the ground.

“What’s in there?” Jughead asked, smirking. “Buy some overpriced ‘adulting’ books with your employee discount?”

Betty let out a hearty laugh, letting her eyes linger softly on him as she quieted down. “Amazing Urban Outfitters roast. But, no, I am not telling you what’s in the bag. There’s an order to these things.” She held the bag to her chest and crossed her arms against it protectively.

Jughead laughed and held his hands up in surrender. “Lead the way, Betts. As much as I’m the Boston native here, I usually do my best to stay as far away from Harvard Square as possible.”

Betty nodded solemnly, shifting the bag onto her arm. “I don’t blame you. I get paid when I’m here, so…” 

“...so?” Jughead said, reaching out his hand and taking Betty’s. “Where are you taking us for dinner?”

Betty smiled at their joined hands and looked up at Jughead. “Let’s talk about this farther away from my place of work so I can get baked.”

Jughead laughed and let Betty pull him forward down the overly-crowded, cobblestone streets of Harvard Square. She pulled him into that narrow street that was also kind of an alley behind the Coop that Jughead could never remember the name of. He could, however, remember standing outside, waiting while his parents took way too long in the Coop bathroom the one time he could remember them taking him to Harvard Square to see the Curious George store, even though Jughead knew even then that they couldn’t afford anything. 

He blinked, realizing he was getting caught up in the past when he should be focusing on his first real date with Betty. At least, until he felt ready to fill her in on that very intimate, very deep and painful part of him.

Betty was smiling a little ways ahead of him. She caught his eye as she turned to beam at him, tugging his hand forward in a silent bid for him to catch up to her. Jughead gave in, making a show of the small gap he quickly closed to walk by her side. 

Betty stopped him with her hand and took her little wax pen out of her backpack. “There are so many smokers and vape bros in this alley, it’s the best place to get a lil baked before dinner.”

“So, where are we going for dinner?” Jughead asked, watching Betty exhale a fourth cloud of white vapor. He’d been counting.

“The place we’re going is very close by. It’s one of the best spots around, and the best part is - they have a rooftop!”

\---

They didn’t even make it up two flights of stairs inside Felipe’s before realizing that the line to get on the aforementioned rooftop winded its way down the stairs, along the third floor, and down another set of stairs to where they were standing.

“Shit,” Betty said, biting her lip and looking at Jughead nervously. “I was hoping there wouldn’t be a line. Tuesday night, you know?”

Jughead could tell that Betty was deflating, the excitement he had felt in her before dimming. They had stopped holding hands when they entered the restaurant, and he noticed she was fidgeting, her fingernails hovering dangerously close to sinking into her palms. He quickly grabbed one of her hands in his, and Betty looked up at him. “Let’s go outside and regroup,” he said softly.

She nodded. Jughead took his hand out of hers and placed it on the small of her back as they began walking back down the stairs toward the exit. 

As they emerged out the front doors of the crowded restaurant and into the cooler evening air, Betty immediately started apologizing, her words coming out in a fast, breathless burst as if they had been welling up inside her for the entire length of time they’d been walking back down the stairs. “I’m so sorry I messed everything up! This was supposed to be a perfect first date, on the roof because it’s so nice out and the food is pretty good too. It was gonna be romantic and not crowded and…”

Jughead moved toward her, placing a hand gingerly on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. He still felt like he was overthinking every touch, getting used to it, but he was surprised that the instinct to touch her was so natural, like it had been there all along. He watched her relax at his touch and felt emboldened to continue. “Hey, hey, it doesn’t matter. Neither of us would’ve had fun up there when it was so crowded. It was worth the try, but I don’t care. As long as I get to hang out with you, it doesn’t matter where we hang out,” he said, staring intently into her eyes. “You know I’ve been dying to hang out with you since Sunday night, right?”

Betty flushed and shook her head. “You know, for a guy who’s never dated a woman, you sure know how to say all the right things.” She looked up at him, a tentative smile on her face.

“Only with you,” Jughead said, placing his hand on her shoulder. He leaned in to kiss her and saw her eyes flutter closed before he closed his own too. Her lips moved against his in a way he could only describe as desperate.

They pulled back, a genuine grin covering Betty’s face as they both opened their eyes. “Okay, now, take your wax pen out like we both know you’re dying to.” 

“You know me too well,” Betty said, pulling it from her pocket and taking two hits. Jughead watched the tension in her shoulders start to dissipate.

“Now, where do you feel most at home around here?” he asked.

Betty looked like she was carefully considering her answer as she took another hit.

“Come on, I don’t believe that Betty Cooper doesn’t have a back-up plan,” Jughead added, raising his eyebrows in a challenging look.

“Well, we do have to give Cheryl credit for always reminding me to check if the roof is full before ordering food at the counter,” Betty said, gesturing toward Felipe’s and turning to give Jughead a disappointed smile. “Sorry again that Plan A didn’t work out.”

“That’s how it is in Boston,” he said. “The second something cool shows up, everyone flocks to it, and suddenly it’s not fun anymore.”

“It’s probably like that everywhere though, to be fair.”

Jughead gave her another challenging look, as if silently asking if she were up for a real Jughead-Betty debate. She shook her head coyly. “Lucky for you,” Betty finally said, changing the subject. “I do have a back-up plan. Deep down, I knew there was definitely a chance Felipe’s would be too crowded to be any fun.” She took another hit before pocketing her pen, dipping her head back toward where they came from, and taking Jughead’s hand in hers again.

Jughead grinned, walking easily beside her as she led them through the streets. This time they passed by her workplace, Betty peering curiously in to see if any of her work friends were working near the window. They ended up in the square opposite where Jughead had jumped off the bus only a half hour before. 

“Ever been to Grendel’s?” Betty asked, taking her hand out of Jughead’s to gesture toward the restaurant in the far corner of the square.

Jughead squinted at it and shook his head. “I don’t think so.” 

They walked in and down a flight of stairs into a dark bar with wooden tables. It was about half full of people, laughing and drinking over plates of food. Jughead was already calmer in this atmosphere.

“Feel free to seat yourselves!” a waitress called to them as she delivered drinks to a table near the front.

Betty and Jughead settled themselves at a two-seater in the corner and Jughead took another glance around before turning to look at Betty. He flushed a little when he realized Betty had been watching him, a cute little smile on her face. 

“This place is much more my style,” Jughead said.

“I should’ve known and just had us come straight here,” Betty said, looking around herself and nodding. “This is my Urban crew’s go-to place for after work drinks.”

The waitress who had greeted them dropped two menus on their table. “Anything to drink?” 

“Just water for me,” Jughead gave his perfunctory answer before letting Betty order the alcohol he assumed she wanted.

Betty handed the waitress the drink menu though, saying, “Water for me too, and I think we just need a minute for food.”

Jughead waited until the waitress was out of earshot before looking at Betty softly and saying, “You know, you can drink if you want to, Betty.”

Betty smiled, reaching across the table to grab his hand. “I know, Jug. But don’t forget, I’m not a huge fan of alcohol either. And I’m really not in the mood right now. I didn’t have a big lunch, and I hate the way it makes me feel to drink on an empty stomach.”

Jughead nodded, remembering their conversation in Kevin’s bedroom at the party. “Good, I was just checking.”

They began talking about the menu, Betty enthusiastically suggesting they share the nachos. The waitress returned with their waters and they ordered easily, Jughead smiling at Betty’s enthusiasm and familiarity with the waitress. Finally, they were left alone again, and Betty and Jughead both looked at each other, relaxed and at ease as they finally settled into being in each other’s presence.

“So,” Jughead said, leaning forward to take a sip of water. “How was the day at work?”

Betty sighed and leaned back in her seat. “It was a day,” she said. She offered a slight smile. “But thinking about seeing you tonight definitely motivated me.”

Jughead grinned and reached his hand across the table to clasp hers. He could see that she had been fidgeting. “Same,” he said, piercing his eyes with hers in a look that practically made Betty’s heart stop.

Their moment was interrupted when their nachos were unceremoniously plopped before them by their waitress. “Enjoy,” she said before hurrying to seat a large group.

Betty peered down at the nachos with a look Jughead could only describe as amorous, and he burst out laughing at the sight. He quickly grabbed his phone off the table and took a photo of her gazing longingly at the nachos and Betty broke out of her daze to laugh and try to snatch his phone out of his hand. Jughead kept it out of her reach, a playful look in his eyes at her flustered giggles. 

“Let me at least see the photo, Juggie!” she protested, beckoning toward his phone with her hand.

“Fine,” he conceded. “But only if you double dog promise not to delete it.”

“I...triple dog promise!” Betty said, laughing out loud at her own statement. “Oh, my god, I think that thing happened that can sometimes happen with wax.”

Jughead looked at her inquisitively. “What thing?”

“Sometimes you sort of get hit with like, an extra round of feeling high about twenty minutes after you first get stoned. And I feel like...the second those nachos got in front of us, it happened for me. I was like, fuck those look good.” 

She turned to look down at the nachos again, still untouched, and Jughead smiled at her. “Betty,” he said, and she looked up at him, a concerned look in her eyes. That pesky anxiety. She calmed a bit when she saw the look in Jughead’s eyes was soft, amused.

“What?” Betty breathed, suddenly fully captivated by him. Damn, she had really gotten herself good and stoned on the way here, and she was enjoying it. It was allowing herself to relax around Jughead, the one thing she’d been looking forward to all day.

The playful glint in his eyes returned. “Eat those nachos, Betts! What are you waiting for?”

With that, Betty and Jughead began devouring the nachos, which Jughead already thought were an amazing choice on Betty’s part within ten seconds of shoving his first chip in his mouth. “Is your nacho knowledge part of your weed queen credentials?” Jughead asked as they both crunched noisily.

Betty laughed between bites. “Obviously,” she said, flipping her hair.

Jughead was struck for what now felt like the millionth time by how easy things flowed between them as the dinner continued, both of them unapologetically shoving chips and cheese and pico de gallo in their mouths, laughing and joking. As the waitress brought their entrees, Jughead realized that he honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun with someone.

As they waited for the check, the topic switched to their class the following day, with Betty using some impressively large hand gestures to offer her opinions about the week’s reading. Jughead wondered what it would be like to sit in class next to Betty, now knowing what it was like to feel her lips pressed to his own, to know that she often thought about him and he often thought about her...if anything, that foreign feeling of possessiveness he’d felt the first time Betty had picked Jughead over Trev to talk to in class felt even more fully defined now. He’d never felt that way about anyone, not even his oldest friends. It was strange and something he would need to keep in check, but new. He would be proud to sit next to Betty, knowing that they were...involved...although they hadn’t exactly defined things yet. 

Betty and Jughead left Grendel’s a few minutes later, emerging into the square. Betty immediately retrieved her wax pen and took a hit.

“So,” Jughead said, watching the trail of vapor disappear into the sky. “Where to next?”

Betty looked thoughtful, then took one more hit and tucked her pen back in her pocket, a mischievous look crossing her face. “I know exactly where we should go,” Betty said.

In comfortable silence Betty and Jughead walked the familiar path down to the Charles River hand in hand, headed toward that same bench where Cheryl and Betty liked to smoke after shifts...where Betty and Jughead had sat the very first night they’d hung out alone together, with Jughead watching in nervous awe as Betty smoked beside him. It felt like so much had happened between them since then. 

About halfway through their walk, Jughead realized where Betty was leading them and a smile crossed his face, though he didn’t say anything. That was the thing with him and Betty. He just felt comfortable with her, like they were on the same page in these subtle and silent ways that he would rather just let be than put words to. He didn’t want to break the moment...not when the feelings were so new and fresh. 

As they finally approached the bench, Jughead had odd affection for the memory of the Betty and the Jughead who had sat here only a few weeks before, a little more awkward but still with just as much in common - in fact, more in common than the two of them had known back then. 

Betty smirked at Jughead. “Perfect, right?”

He beamed back, gesturing for Betty to sit down before him. She gave him a nod of approval. “What a gentleman,” she said jokingly as she sat down. 

Jughead joined Betty on the bench, definitely sitting much closer than the last time they’d been here, and slipped his hand into hers. “Okay, now it’s perfect,” he said softly, looking out at the dark river. 

Betty rested her head on his shoulder and sighed in contentment. This was exactly where she wanted to be. A few minutes passed in comfortable silence, the sound of the water lapping at the shore in the background as they snuggled into each other’s warmth. Their silence was interrupted by a deep yawn from Jughead. Betty looked up at him. “Sleepy?” she asked, a challenging look in her eyes. 

He knew what she really meant: did you sleep last night?

Jughead sighed and gently pushed Betty off of him. They both sat up, sensing this conversation topic required their fuller attention. Betty reached for his hand again even as they had pulled further apart. “How have you been sleeping?” she asked again, gentler.

“Not well,” he admitted, running his finger along her palm and over her scars absentmindedly. She shut her eyes as he continued talking, finding his strokes oddly soothing. “It’s just...been like this for a long time, Betty. I will tell you more in-depth eventually, I promise.” He gulped. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just…”

Betty opened her eyes and shook her head wildly. “No, Jug, it’s okay. Tell me when you’re ready. I get how complicated this shit is better than anyone.” She thought of her own anxiety and its connections to her manipulative parents and subsequently traumatic childhood. 

He nodded, looking into her eyes with such a tender look it nearly broke Betty’s heart. She bit her lip and maintained eye contact, a warmth growing in her stomach at the vulnerable look on Jughead’s face. “Don’t forget that we can always try weed and see if it makes any sort of difference for you,” Betty said. “You never know, it could be for you what it is for me and Cheryl too.” 

He smiled and nodded appreciatively. He had done a bit more research since they’d last talked, but something was still holding him back. As much as the smell of marijuana had begun to remind him of Betty in a way that was exciting and new, there were still many complicated feelings and associations with the smell from his childhood...when usually his parents were also dipping into stuff much more serious than weed, but still. He wanted to be sure, even if it was becoming easier with each passing day to envision a world in which the thick white smoke and sweet smell simply reminded him of the bright green eyes and beautiful smile of Betty Cooper, her haunting laugh and...he realized that Betty was moving closer to him on the bench, launching him out of his thoughts, and he smirked as she placed her hand on his thigh and inched herself closer until there was no gap between their bodies. She was leaning over him, practically sitting in his lap as she placed her other hand on his shoulder to steady herself.

“Hey,” he whispered, reaching forward to place a lock of hair behind her ear.

She bit her lip and he felt a tingle in his stomach as his eyes lingered there. “If I decide to smoke weed,” he said quietly. Betty looked surprised for a second that he was still talking about weed but listened intently. “...I would trust no one but you to show me.”

She smiled, wanting to lean in and kiss him, but feeling like she had to check in with him first. They hadn’t exactly defined their relationship and Betty wanted to remain vigilant of the fact that this was Jughead’s first relationship of any sort and even his first time being physical with someone like this.

“Hey, Jug,” she whispered. 

He was still gazing at her, in awe of how nice it felt for her to be tucked into him so closely. “Yeah?”

“I just...wanted to check in. Does this all feel too weird or too fast? You’d tell me if it was, right? Because I know we just kissed for the first time on Sunday and now we’re all over each other on a bench in public and I just don’t want you to feel pressured if it’s too fast…” Her words seemed to build on each other, growing in their pace and intensity. He could practically see the anxiety bubbling in her. He reached forward to rub her shoulder and she smiled appreciatively. 

“No, that’s the thing, Betty,” he said. He moved his hand to cup her face and looked at her intently. “It doesn’t feel too weird or too fast. It feels like I finally met someone I’m attracted to, and I’m so, so into her,” Jughead said, leaning in to close the gap between them and finally pressing his lips to hers.

She practically gasped into his mouth, moving her lips against his at a faster pace than the last few times they’d kissed, desperate and passionate in a way that exhilarated Jughead. Betty pushed herself closer, wrapping her hands around his neck as his hands came to rest on either side of her waist. Jughead’s tongue pressed experimentally against her bottom lip and Betty immediately opened her mouth, stroking her tongue against his as Jughead moaned into her mouth.

Something wild had been unleashed in both of them. Anyone walking by would probably roll their eyes at the college couple furiously making out on a bench next to the Charles River. For once in both Betty and Jughead’s lives, the thought made them shrug. They were too caught up in one another to care. 

They made out for an amount of time that felt endless for them, in a way neither had ever experienced before. As they finally pulled away from each other, both flushed, Jughead said, “Wow, I never knew it could be like this.” There was awe in his voice and he sounded like he was still trying to catch his breath.

Betty got that. She felt like she was still trying to catch her breath too. She’d been so caught up in Jughead it had felt like time had stopped and it was just Betty and Jughead. The sound of the water, the cars passing on the street behind them, the persistent anxious voice in her head, all had dimmed to a low roar. She had been completely enveloped in Jughead’s warmth, and it was addicting. She wanted to breathe him in more, drink in his scent. Truly she had never been this into anyone she had dated before, and of course the anxious little voice in her head wouldn’t shut up now that they had pulled apart, nagging at Betty not to ruin everything.

But, her constant saving grace, Jughead’s voice cut through Betty’s haze of worry. “What are you thinking about, Betts?”

She smiled. “You. I’m a little intimidated by how into you I am,” she admitted, blushing.

“Me too,” Jughead said, a similar flush covering his face. 

She leaned in again and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth and Jughead grinned at her before pulling Betty into him. They sat in silence again, enjoying the quiet beginnings of whatever this thing between them was.

Suddenly, something caught Jughead’s eye: the cloth Urban Outfitters bag whose contents Betty had refused to reveal was still sitting untouched beside her on the bench. Jughead suddenly sat up, interrupting their quiet harmony.

“Wait, what’s in the bag?” Jughead asked, poking at the cloth bag as if accusing it of something. 

Betty laughed, remembering her earlier exaggerated comments regarding her bag. “Oh yes! The grand reveal!” She pulled the cloth bag closer to her and reached inside. “It was Damages Day! I got a bunch of free loot.”

Jughead smirked. “What exactly does that mean?”

“It means I have a bunch of things that are slightly damaged so Urban Outfitters won’t sell them, but they’re still perfectly useable!” First she pulled out a book and handed it to Jughead.

“‘Know Your Poop: A Guide to That Thing We All Do,’” Jughead read the title aloud, squinting to ensure he’d read the words right. Betty burst out laughing at the disgusted look on Jughead’s face. “Are you telling me people spend money on the undamaged version of this book?”

Betty laughed, nodding. “Ridiculous, right? I was gonna give that to Kevin and Moose’s roommates.”

Jughead handed the book back to Betty as if it were covered in germs, pinching it between his fingers and holding it at arm’s length. “Perfect for them, yes,” he said, laughing.

Betty pulled a second item from the damages bag and handed it to Jughead. He ran his hands across the smooth expanse of a glass picture frame with tiny silver and gold stars all along the rim. “Pretty,” he said. 

Betty nodded, taking it back. “There’s technically a scratch on the back side, but totally useable. Cheryl and I will probably put it in the living room.”

Jughead smiled, nodding. “Impressive,” he said, genuinely. He loved Cheryl and Betty’s commitment to home decorating, something he and his roommates had never quite developed a knack for beyond a few weird high school art projects Fangs had put in the hallway when they first moved in. Betty handed him a third item, a weed leaf-shaped ashtray with a rather obvious crack in one of the corners of the leaf. 

“Wow, I can’t believe this even exists outside of like, an Amsterdam coffee shop or LA dispensary,” Jughead said, turning the bright green ceramic dish over in his hands. 

“I know,” Betty said, giggling. “You can never have enough ash trays. I figured this would be a good outdoor tray for our back porch, seeing as it’s already broken.” She took the ashtray back and tucked it into the bag, smirking at him. 

“Okay, Hermione, what else you got in your charmed bag?” Jughead joked. He could tell she wasn’t done with her game yet, and was excited to see what else could possibly be waiting to be revealed.

“Solid reference,” Betty said laughing. “One last thing, I promise.” She retrieved the final item from within the depths, and, smiling, handed it to him. It was a powder-blue notebook, adorned with light pink bubbles and hearts, with a giant, happy-looking unicorn smiling at him from the center.

“It’s for you. I know it’s a ridiculous image on the cover, but I thought you might enjoy furiously writing in a notebook every once in awhile. You know, in addition to furiously typing,” Betty teased, a playful glint in her eye. She pointed at a bright pink smudge in the left hand corner of the cover. “There’s a bit of an ink stain on it, but otherwise, totally undamaged.”

Jughead took in the totally-unlike-him notebook, smiling despite himself, loving that Betty thought to give it to him instead of taking it home to laugh at with Cheryl and Kevin. Jughead felt warm knowing he now occupied a space in Betty’s brain, that something related to writing immediately made her think of him. He looked up at Betty, who was watching him with a slight apprehensive look on her face and he smiled. “This is amazing, Betts. I feel so honored to receive this damaged notebook.”

A grin spread across Betty’s face. “I’m so glad you like it. And...I’m glad I got to give it to you here.” She looked around at their surroundings. “Pretty full circle, huh?”

Jughead nodded, putting the notebook down on the bench beside him. “I know, can you believe only a couple months ago we were here…”

“…and you yelled at me that you couldn’t kiss me on the way home!” Betty remembered, slapping her hand to her mouth as she laughed.

Jughead laughed heartily at the memory too. That earlier Jughead had no idea what he was in for with Betty Cooper. “I’m so glad that stage of our relationship is over,” he said, quieting down and fixing Betty with a more serious, pensive look.

She nodded solemnly, clasping his hand. “Me too,” she whispered.

After a few beats, Jughead asked, “Shall we head back?” 

Betty nodded and they both packed up their things, Jughead tucking his new notebook under his arm and grabbing Betty’s hand. They started the walk home to Allston, stopping frequently to kiss by the side of the road. It was Jughead’s new favorite thing to do. In fact, from the moment Betty had emerged from the store to the time Jughead turned to walk back to his own apartment after dropping her off, there had been at least twenty-five kisses. Yes, Jughead had been counting.

So had Betty.

 

Wednesday, July 11

Betty had Dirty Computer playing from her open laptop, washing her dishes after breakfast and humming along as she got ready for class and then a closing shift at work. 

She was excited to see Jughead. They’d been texting practically nonstop since he’d dropped her off after their date last night, about everything from memes to their assignment for class to the first doodle Jughead had made in the notebook Betty had given him.

They were meeting at the Harvard Ave T stop and taking the train in to campus together, which they’d never done before, and Betty was excited to see him. Even as she was washing dishes in her Allston living room, it felt like her body was still sitting on that bench in Cambridge, wrapped up in Jughead and getting lost in his hands, his tongue, his gentle grin in the darkness…

Betty’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a shrill shriek coming from the direction of Cheryl’s room followed by a loud “Betty Cooper!” Betty turned to see Cheryl barreling across the living room toward her, her phone outstretched in her hand. 

“What’s going on?” Betty asked, lifting her soapy hands out of the sink to wipe them on a dish towel before grabbing the phone from Cheryl.

On the screen was an Instagram post from Jughead, posted only two minutes earlier so she hadn’t seen it yet. It was the photo Jughead had taken of Betty looking enamored by their nachos at Grendel’s the night before. The caption said: “Betty vs. Nachos” with a cheese emoji and a red heart emoji, and he had tagged Betty. Betty giggled, remembering that Jughead had finally conceded and shown her the photo on their walk home. 

“Explain!” Cheryl shrieked. 

“We ate nachos last night?” Betty laughed as she gave Cheryl her phone and returned to the sink to finish cleaning her dishes.

Cheryl rolled her eyes, coming to stand beside Betty as she finished up her dishes. “You know what I mean, B,” she said, taking on a softer tone. “You’re Instagram official?”

Betty blushed, drying off her hands and grabbing her phone herself so she could see the photo again. “I guess so,” she said, smiling down at the image. “We didn’t talk about what our relationship status was or anything last night. We just caught up and…kissed. A lot.”

Cheryl’s face lit up. “Oh, my God, swoon! That’s so cute. So you did Grendel’s for dinner?” Her nose wrinkled slightly but Betty could tell she was trying to hide it. Cheryl always took Toni for dates at restaurants that Betty not only could not afford, but that Betty and Jughead would likely both be uncomfortable eating at. 

“Yes, Grendel’s for dinner because the Felipe’s rooftop was full but it worked out for the best anyway,” Betty said. “And then we ended up making out by the river…”

Cheryl squealed. “That’s so romantic, oh my God. Who knew Jughead had it in him?”

“I know!” Betty blushed, nodding, excited to finally share the news with someone. She sat down at the kitchen table, realizing she had a couple minutes before she had to leave to meet Jughead. Cheryl sat opposite Betty, leaning in excitedly to hear whatever else Betty wanted to share. 

“He said I’m the only girl who he’s ever felt like this about. Ever,” Betty continued. “I know we already knew that was the case, but I just can’t believe he actually likes me, Cheryl!” 

“I can, B,” Cheryl said, a genuine grin spreading across her face at how loved up and excited Betty clearly looked. “You’re such a cool person, and you and Jug are both such completely adorable nerds. From the moment the two of you started talking in May, I had a good feeling about you two. You’re perfect for each other.”

Betty smiled. “Thanks, Cheryl. Thanks for being there for me to vent to about all this.”

“Of course, Betty. Always and forever here to hear all the fears…and the dirty details.” Cheryl winked and Betty flushed even redder, about to open her mouth to protest. “Oh, relax,” Cheryl said, shaking her head. “I know there are no dirty details yet! I just mean, when there ARE dirty details. You must tell Kevin and me. It’s the rules.” 

Betty shook her head. “You two will be the death of me.” She looked back down at the Instagram post, tapping it twice with her finger to “like” it, and thought about what she should comment. She finally settled on: “Had a lot of fun with those nachos last night…and with you too,” with the little double pink heart emoji she loved to use.

Cheryl watched Betty typing on her phone, blushing and carefully considering what she was going to write, and thought wistfully of the beginnings of her own relationship with Toni. Betty stood up, tucking her phone into her pocket and facing Cheryl. “Gotta go meet Jughead at the train. I’m pretty excited he wants to spend the whole train ride together.”

“From Allston to downtown Boston on the T together? That’s how you know the love is real!” Cheryl said enthusiastically. 

“Yes!” Betty said. “Well, not love, but the beginnings of a relationship type thing…”

Cheryl waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, exactly, all that,” she said, laughing. “Go get your man and have a good class, girl!”

\---

When Betty arrived at the Harvard Avenue T stop, she found Jughead standing halfway down the platform, headphones in his ears as he grinned down at his phone. He was wearing a gray S t-shirt with a dark red flannel tied around his waist, and Betty licked her lips. 

Jughead was looking back down at his photo of Betty, scrolling through the surprisingly high amount of likes he had received in the thirty minutes since he had posted it. He normally didn’t post much on social media, but something about how purely happy and beautiful Betty looked in the photo with the nachos had made him want to share it with the world. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with Betty herself. His face lit up. 

“Hey,” he said, smiling down at her.

“Happy Wednesday!” Betty said, peering over at his phone screen curiously and blushing when she saw herself looking back at her. 

Jughead smiled. “Caught in the act,” he said, pulling his headphones out of his ears and tucking them into his pocket.

“It’s such a good pic,” Betty said. She leaned forward to touch his arm. “How was your night last night?”

“Amazing,” Jughead said. “Hung out with this cool blonde chick, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of her…”

“Nah, I don’t know any blonde chicks,” Betty said, playing along. 

“You would really like this one,” Jughead said. “Smart. Beautiful. Keeps up with my jokes.”

“Sounds perfect for you,” Betty said breathlessly.

“She really is,” Jughead said, holding an even tone.

“But, seriously,” Betty said, taking on a more serious tone. “Sleep okay last night?” 

Jughead shrugged. He hoped Betty wouldn’t try to look for some sort of pattern in whether or not he slept well after hanging out with her. As much as he enjoyed Betty’s company and couldn’t wait to see what their new connection brought them, he knew that Betty couldn’t fix him. “Not great. Got a couple uninterrupted hours.” 

Betty nodded, frowning slightly. “Better than nothing.” 

Jughead nodded back. “Exactly.” The train finally pulled up in front of them, and Betty and Jughead joined the throng of students, workers, and professionals queuing up at the front door with CharlieCards outstretched. They finally piled on, moving to the middle of the car and standing next to each other around a pole. 

“Nothing like a ride on the MBTA to put a new relationship to the test,” Betty said, laughing and leaning slightly closer to Jughead as the train whipped fast around a corner. 

Jughead immediately placed a hand on the small of Betty’s back to steady her as she regained her footing. “Nothing more romantic,” he agreed jokingly, allowing his hand to remain in place on Betty and leaning in close to tell her the ridiculous story Sweet Pea and Fangs had told him when he’d gotten home the night before.

Thirty-five minutes later, Jughead held the door to their classroom open for Betty as he finished telling a story about Fangs in high school. Betty giggled as she led them to their typical seats farther down the table. They were a little later than Jughead usually was, but there were still five minutes until class started. Trev was already seated in his usual spot next to Betty, and he narrowed his eyes in their direction as they headed toward him.

Jughead felt a strange sense of pride well inside him as he and Betty reached their seats and sat down. While Betty was stooping down to grab her books from her backpack, he noticed Trev shooting him another glare, looking him up and down as if trying to figure out why Betty had walked into the classroom with Jughead instead of himself. _Can people already tell something has changed between me and Betty?_ Jughead wondered, holding Trev’s gaze until the other dude looked away.

Betty looked up just in time to see Trev look away and rolled her eyes, exchanging an exasperated look with Jughead before opening her notebook to last week’s notes. She spotted one of Jughead’s more elaborate class-time doodles from the last class, and pointed it out to him. “You gonna make another masterpiece like this today?” she asked, turning to shield the drawing from Trev’s eyeline. (It may or may not have included the likeness of their favorite classmate.)

“Only if inspiration strikes, Betty. I’m not some doodle machine you can turn on whenever you want,” Jughead said, fake scoffing.

Betty giggled, eliciting another glare from Trev, which she ignored as she leaned in closer to Jughead. “I would love to turn you on later,” she whispered, letting her hand brush up his thigh and causing a prominent blush to spread across Jughead’s cheeks.

In the front of the classroom, their professor cleared his throat loudly and Betty quickly moved back into her own seat, readjusting her stance so she was facing stiffly forward in a way that would make even the terrifying Alice Cooper proud. As the professor instructed them to open to a particular page in the reading, Betty offered Jughead one last wink before raising her hand to answer the first question asked of the class.

\---

The end of class found Betty and Jughead in their usual coffee spot, pastries being efficiently devoured on either side of their table as they intermittently clasped at each other’s hands and teased as if tallying points for who could make the other blush the most times in one day.

Betty leaned back in her chair, settling into the slight buzz she was rocking from her usual post-class two pen hits to relax her before work. “You’re such a flirt, Jug,” she said, fixing him with a smirk as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Only with you,” Jughead said, meeting her eyes. It was true. He couldn’t help it. It seemed every time he was around her, something was switched on in his brain, and he would do or say anything that would make Betty smile and blush and move closer to him.

During class, although Betty had begun by drawing herself to full attention, she had become distracted by a boy for the first time she could remember. In high school even none of her crushes had been of the magnitude to keep her from paying attention when a teacher was speaking. During class today, Betty had caught herself gazing at Jughead’s forearm as he pulled up the sleeve of his flannel. Her eyes had trailed along his arm and up to the smooth skin of his gorgeous face, his brow furrowed in concentration, and down to his lips. She’d let her gaze linger on his lips, picturing the way they had moved against her own countless times the night before. Suddenly she had felt a nudge on her arm. Jughead’s eyes remained facing forward on the student speaking further in the front of the classroom, but she saw him smile at her out of the corner of his eye. He had definitely caught her staring, and she’d blushed as she’d returned her attention to the classroom discussion.

Now, in the coffee shop, she let her eyes take in Jughead’s face and arms hungrily, wanting to get her fill before they both had to leave for work.

“You really couldn't help checking me out during class, huh?” Jughead asked, rubbing his hand over Betty’s absentmindedly.

“You really can’t help touching me now, huh?” Betty countered, looking pointedly down at his hand in her own.

He shook his head. “Seems like neither of us can control ourselves around each other,” he said quietly. 

“Maybeeeee…we should go out again,” Betty suggested.

Jughead nodded, continuing to rub Betty’s hand. “I have the perfect place to show you, if you’re down.”

Betty bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically. “Yes! Take me to all the Boston spots, you Boston boy. If I’m the Weed Queen, you’re the Beantown King.”

Jughead scrunched his nose up in disgust and shook his head. “No, no Beantown. No one says that, that’s not a thing.”

Betty laughed heartily. “So is this a day date, a night date? What kind of time do you need from me?”

“Definitely a day date,” Jughead answered. 

Betty took her hand out of his to open her calendar on her phone. “I’m actually off Friday, would you look at that?” She looked up at Jughead, who was beaming back at her.

“Same,” he said, causing an identical smile to break out across Betty’s face. “We’re going on an adventure Friday, Betts.”

 

Friday, July 13

Betty looked excitedly out the window of the 86 bus at unfamiliar shops and restaurants and houses with cute front gardens as they passed through Somerville, a part of Boston she had rarely visited despite working in neighboring Cambridge. Jughead watched her take in the sights with a satisfied smile on his face.

It had already been an adventure by Betty’s standards. Jughead had picked her up and led her to the familiar 66 bus stop nearest to her apartment, earning teases about how adventurous the adventure would be. At the Harvard Stadium stop, which Betty usually blew past on her way to work each day, Jughead had instructed them to get off, where they’d waited ten minutes for the 86 bus to arrive.

During the wait, Betty had taken tentative hits on her pen, unsure how high she’d want to be for the “adventure,” but Jughead encouraged her that it was an appropriate setting to be a little stoned in.

On the bus now, Betty turned from the window back to Jughead, smirking as she asked once again, “Last chance to blab about where we’re going?”

Jughead leaned in close to her, cupping her face with his hands. “Not a chance,” he whispered before releasing her and leaning back in his seat with a smirk.

Betty laughed. “Okay, okay, I’ll be patient!” 

“I promise, you’re gonna love it,” he said, putting an arm around Betty and joining her in looking out the window, pointing out places he liked and had been to, including a restaurant where Sweet Pea had puked in high school after eating too much food.

Finally, Jughead pressed the yellow tape to indicate their stop and Betty gave him a sly smile as they both stood up and walked to the back door. The pair jumped off the bus and Jughead took Betty’s hand, leading her down the quaint streets past more shops and restaurants with confidence in his step. He stopped outside a shop called Union Square Donuts.

“Welcome to Union Square in Somerville. Best donuts in the city,” Jughead said, presenting the shop with a flourishing hand gesture.

Betty looked up at the sign in awe. “I love donuts,” she said, turning to Jughead.

“I hoped so,” he said, a look of relief crossing his face. He gestured forward to the shop. “Shall we?”

Betty pushed open the door and walked into the sweet-smelling store. A fellow college-age worker greeted them as they walked in, telling them the week’s special flavors before leaving them to take in the selection. 

“Okay, this place is amazing,” Betty said, her eyes roving over all the different flavors and designs of donuts. She looked up at Jughead, who was watching her affectionately. “So, what donut do I NEED to try?” she asked him.

“Being who I am as a person, I swear by their Vietnamese coffee donut,” Jughead answered without missing a beat. “Though knowing you, you would also love their Belgian chocolate. And you gotta try the sea salt bourbon caramel.”

Betty looked up at the menu, squinting as she read the prices. “Let’s get a half-dozen to share.” She looped her arm through his, her stomach tingling when he didn’t pull away but adjusted himself so they were more comfortably intertwined.

“Sounds perfect,” he said, smiling down at her.

They chose six donuts and took the box over to one of the colorful booths, Jughead letting Betty slide in before he slid in beside her, draping his arm comfortably around her shoulders. 

“I wouldn’t peg you for a same-side-of-the-booth type of guy,” Betty whispered, leaning in close to him and locking her eyes with his.

“Me either,” Jughead said, laughing as he leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to hers, both their eyes fluttering closed. Then they both leaned back, Jughead opening the donut box and groaning in delight at the six perfect frosted circles staring back at them. 

Betty laughed. “Excited about these donuts, Jug, or what?”

“You have no idea, Betts,” he said, grabbing the sea salt bourbon caramel one, ripping it delicately in half, and giving one piece to her. “Try it.”

Betty closed her eyes as she took her first bite, and was smiling by the time she swallowed. She opened her eyes and grinned at Jughead, who was watching closely for her reaction. “Okay, this is the perfect donut,” she gushed. 

Jughead pumped his fist in the air in victory. “I knew you would like them.” He took a bite of his own half, sufficiently satisfied with Betty’s reaction. 

Betty giggled and leaned forward to rip off a piece of a vanilla bean donut. “When did you start coming here?” Betty asked as she popped another piece in her mouth. “It’s pretty far from JP, no?”

Jughead shook his head. “Actually kind of a weird story. One of Toni’s exes used to work here, and they’d bring home leftover donuts. They broke up when the ex moved away from Boston, though, so thankfully we can keep coming here without it being awkward.”

“Oh, God, yeah it would suck if Toni’s ex ruined this amazing donut shop experience,” Betty said. She paused for a second. “Cheryl has never been here, has she?” 

Jughead shook his head. “Honestly no idea. Can’t say I tag along on many dates with Cheryl and Toni.”

Betty laughed. “You’re luckier than me,” she said. “I was only asking because Cheryl has quite a jealous streak. Can’t imagine her wanting to come to a place associated with Toni’s ex.”

Jughead nodded, a faraway look of laughter in his eyes. “Why does that fact about Cheryl not surprise me at all?” 

“It really shouldn’t surprise you,” Betty said, giggling. “Well, I hope they don’t come here. Then it can be our spot instead. Replace the memories of Toni’s ex with memories of us instead.”

“I like that,” Jughead said, grabbing the other half of Betty’s second donut. 

The song playing in the shop switched from an old Green Day song to a song Betty immediately recognized, “River” by Leon Bridges. It had become a mainstay on she and Cheryl’s playlists they liked to play while smoking on their back porch, and Betty’s face immediately lit up at the sound. 

“I love this song!” she said. 

Jughead listened intently. “It’s good. Where do you know it from?”

Betty shrugged. “Not to be over the top or anything, but Cheryl and I kinda had a spiritual experience with this song.” She flipped her blonde ponytail over her shoulder dramatically and Jughead burst out laughing.

Taking a pause before grabbing a third donut half, Jughead said, “A spiritual experience? Do tell.”

“Well, Jughead,” Betty said, putting on her best teacher voice. “Sometimes, when we smoke weed, we connect even more intensely with the music we love in our states of loving relaxed highness.” 

“Is that the technical term?” Jughead interrupted, grinning through a mouthful of donut.

“Yes, thank you,” Betty said without missing a beat. “One time Cheryl and I were smoking on the back porch a couple months ago, and we sat there just the two of us facing a good five or six bowls.” Jughead’s eyes widened, impressed as always with Betty and Cheryl’s stoner stamina. 

“I don’t know what it was, but it was just such a beautiful New England spring sunset. Like, 60 degrees and cool and a slight breeze in the air. The sky was streaked with pink and orange, and the last light of the day was shining on us, and we were just so high and together. And this song came on.” Jughead paused his eating to watch Betty as she told this story, her face lighting up as she described it so carefully. 

“I just felt so happy, staring into the sun, sitting with my best friend. I just felt this intense love for myself, for Cheryl, for my ability to live in this city without having to deal with my shitty parents, to get to study what I want…” She trailed off. “Anyway, every time I hear that song now it brings me back to that beautiful moment of high…clarity. And happiness.”

“Wow,” Jughead said, watching Betty. He was so in awe of how much she was always willing to give up to him. She let him in a little more each time they were together it seemed, and he was down to take everything she gave him. 

“I have a lot of songs like that,” Betty said softly, moving forward to grab another piece of donut. “If you ever smoke, you will too. It allows you to appreciate it more, to just so fully feel the happiness that a good song can bring you.”

Jughead nodded, trying to imagine listening to one of his favorite songs while sitting next to Betty on her back porch, a smoky haze in the air above their heads. It wasn’t an entirely unfriendly picture. “Maybe one day you’ll show me,” he said quietly. 

Betty seemed like she was trying to maintain her excitement as she smiled and replied, “I would be honored.”

They left the donut shop another twenty minutes later, leaving just one Boston cream donut in their box to finish later as they walked down Washington Street hand in hand. “Where to now, Jug?” Betty asked.

“How crazy would it be for us to walk back to Cambridge to get the bus?” Jug asked. 

Betty shook her head, smiling. “Not crazy at all. I love walking around Boston in the summer.”

“Same,” Jughead said. They walked along for another few minutes in relative silence, Betty taking in this part of Somerville where she’d never been.

“Right up here,” Jughead pointed at a gas station coming up on their right. “This is where Toni’s car ended its very short life. We pushed it here from the donut shop. It wouldn’t start, and it never started again.”

Betty laughed, taking in the faded sign advertising the gas station auto shop. “How long ago was that?”

“Senior year of high school,” Jughead answered. “We only had that car for…” he thought. “…five months? But it was a fun five months, including the end of the summer before our senior year. We drove out to Walden Pond, went swimming. Lots of fun times back then.”

Betty smiled at the thought, trying to imagine a younger Jughead, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs, jumping into a pond, pushing each other in the water, laughing and joking as they drove out of Boston with the wind whipping their hair, Toni likely yelling at all the boys from the driver’s seat. 

“I bet you guys were so cute. I saw that pic Sweet Pea posted of you guys at Jamaica Pond a few weeks ago.”

Jughead blushed, immediately knowing which photo she was referring to. “Oh, God,” he said. “I gave Sweets so much shit for posting that one.”

“Why? You looked adorable! As always.” Betty bumped his hip with her own and smiled at him flirtatiously.

“Thanks,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But yeah, Jamaica Pond was one of our favorite hang out spots. I’ll take you there sometime, I promise.”

They walked along in comfortable silence for another few minutes. 

“So,” Jughead said. “Do you have any must-see donut spots in Jersey City?” He didn’t know where the question had come from. He just loved watching Betty’s face brighten when she talked about her sister. 

Betty looked thoughtful for a minute. “Hmm, we don’t really go to any specialty donut shops in JC,” she said. She narrowed her eyes in thought and then grinned. “Oh, wait. There was this one time a few years ago…when the twins were in their terrible twos. Polly and I took the twins to a Krispy Kreme because we were craving glazed donuts.”

Jughead nodded enthusiastically. As he had hoped, the mention of Jersey City alone had been enough for Betty to launch into a lively story. “Krispy Kreme glazed? Classic.”

“Exactly.” Betty paused. “Anyway, so there was this huge group of teenagers in front of us, and somewhere in the scuffle, Juniper got away from us.”

“Oh, God,” Jughead said. “You two must have been freaking out.”

“I thought Polly was gonna lose it. She looked like she was gonna start accusing these random teens of stealing her child,” Betty said, laughing at the memory. “But then we found her…she was by the little door employees go through to get into the back, trying to figure out how to get in because she’d spotted a chocolate glazed donut and she was trying to get to it.”

Jughead laughed. “Oh my God, what a resourceful kid.”

“Right? We wanted to kill her, but she got her chocolate glazed donut in the end. She’d never tried one before and I guess she thought since the rest of us were always getting regular glazed that Polly wouldn’t let her have chocolate.” She laughed. “Kids are adorable.”

“Seriously,” Jughead said. “I remember one time Jellybean got away from me and Sweet Pea when we were supposed to be watching her at Revere Beach…” He trailed off when he noticed the confused look on Betty’s face. He realized suddenly that he had never mentioned his sister to Betty before.

“Jellybean?” Betty asked cautiously.

Jughead stopped in his tracks and Betty quickly halted beside him, their hands still clasped. They had just passed into Cambridge, and had another twenty minutes or so to walk until they got to the bus stop to head back to Allston. He wanted to give this topic full attention. He pulled his hands delicately out of hers and placed them on her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “Jellybean is my younger sister,” he said softly. “I didn’t realize I’d never mentioned her before.”

Betty nodded, a little surprised. “Oh. That’s great. Does she live here?”

Jughead could already sense the confusion radiating off Betty. “I don’t mention her much because she…we sent her away back when I was in high school. She’s been living with my grandparents in Ohio ever since.” 

Betty nodded, taking in the new information slowly. “Ohio?”

“Toledo, to be more specific,” Jughead said, maintaining his grip on Betty’s shoulders. “You’ll know why, soon,” he whispered, grabbing Betty and pulling her close, just wanting to feel her warmth against his skin. “It’s all really complicated and…kinda painful, unfortunately.” 

“I get it, but I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered back, closing her eyes and settling into him. “I’ll be here.”

Jughead nodded, looking down at Betty to find a serious, captivated look in her eyes. She was practically making his mouth go dry, the way she was looking at him. He leaned down and without a moment’s hesitation, their lips met, coming together in a wordless dance of _I want to tell you everything but I’m scared. I will tell you everything when I’m ready._

They pulled back after a good minute, both their faces flushed. “Wow,” Betty whispered. “We’re getting better and better at that.”

Jughead nodded, wordlessly agreeing. “Wanna head back to your place?” he whispered back.

Betty gulped. There was a silent understanding between them, a mutual unspoken desire to push things farther than they’d been. Betty could only imagine what this spark between them would create when it was just the two of them behind closed doors, rather than outside flirting hand in hand somewhere on the streets of Boston…

“I thought you’d never ask,” she said. “We can watch TV…in my room.”

“Sounds perfect,” Jughead said, gulping himself. “A little further and we can catch the bus.” He pulled back from Betty and offered his hand, which she happily took as the pair resumed walking toward the bus stop.

“So, how exactly did you and Sweet Pea lose Jellybean anyway?” Betty asked, grinning as she broke the silence.

“We were in a bodega getting snacks to bring on the beach and she disappeared on us as Sweets and I were fighting over which kind of chips to buy. By the time we landed on hot Doritos, she had slipped away from us and we couldn’t find her anywhere!” Jughead answered. 

“Where did you end up finding her?”

“In the back, making friends with a bodega cat. Classic Jellybean.”

\---

Betty couldn’t believe her luck as their bus pulled into Allston, leaning against Jughead’s shoulder as he pressed kisses across her hair. 

“We’re the next stop,” he whispered into her ear, making Betty shiver as his breath ghosted her neck.

She sat up, rubbing some of the exhaustion from her eyes. She had taken a few hits while they’d been waiting for the bus, and it had allowed her to settle into a comfortable high as she snuggled into Jughead throughout the short bus ride, daydreaming about what would happen when it was just the two of them, free to make out in Betty’s room.

Jughead pressed the yellow tape to request their stop, and they both rose from the plastic blue seats, gripping the pole for balance as they walked toward the front. 

“So, what do you want to watch?” Jughead asked Betty as they left the bus and started toward Betty’s apartment.

“Oh, gosh, the eternal question,” Betty said, tapping her finger against her chin as she thought. 

“If we don’t want to be scrolling through Netflix for hours, yes,” Jughead said.

They began bantering back and forth, Jughead immediately questioning Betty’s initial suggestion of _To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before_ and Betty countering that she was not in the mood to watch a documentary at Jughead’s proposal. As Betty finally stuck her key in the lock, Jughead placed a hand on the small of Betty’s back, continuing to tease her. 

“As long as we can Netflix and Chill, Jug, I don’t care what we watch…” Betty said, trailing off as they finally opened the door. Instead of finding the empty living room they had expected, they were greeted by the sight of Cheryl, Toni, Kevin, Moose, and Josie staring back at them, sitting across the couches and chairs with a full bong packed and drinks in hand.

“Bughead!” Kevin cheered, waving at them enthusiastically from his perch directly in front of the TV. Both Betty and Jughead rolled their eyes before taking in the scene before them: Cheryl was nestled in Toni’s lap next to Kevin, while Josie and Moose sat at the table with Cheryl’s larger, clear glass living room bong in front of them.

Betty sighed deeply and shut the door behind her. Jughead quickly took his hand off Betty and awkwardly stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Hello, friends,” Betty said. 

“Should we just stand at the front while you roast us?” Jughead asked. Betty laughed.

“We would never!” Cheryl said, putting a hand to her chest in mock offense.

Jughead gave her a challenging, _are-you-serious?_ look and Toni burst out laughing. “Chill out. You two, come hang with us.”

“There’s abundant weed and alcohol,” Moose added, gesturing around to their spread of substances.

“We haven’t seen either of you since you left the bar Sunday night…” Kevin added in a suggestive tone.

Betty exchanged a look with Jughead. Both were silently upset their plans to be alone had been cancelled, but knew they couldn’t get out of hanging out with the group forever. 

“Look at this,” Josie said, pointing up at Betty and Jughead. “They like, have a secret language already.”

Everyone laughed, and Toni grinned at Jughead’s blush. “Okay, leave them alone,” Toni said as Cheryl nodded supportively from her lap. 

Betty led Jughead over to the table to join Moose and Josie, who were packing a new bowl into the bong. “I want in on that bowl,” Betty said, sitting down and waiting for Jughead to join her. 

“You’re still not smoking Jughead, right?” Moose asked as he finished packing the bowl and passed the bong to Betty to start.

“Not yet,” Jughead said, watching as Betty lit the bowl and let the thick white smoke travel up the glass column into her lungs. She cleared it and breathed a plume of smoke back out before passing to Josie. “You’re impressive to watch, Betts,” he said, locking eyes with her as she let out a cough. 

“Thanks, Jug,” she said, laughing and coughing again. “Damn, that hit got me.”

“You know what they say, you gotta cough to get off,” Moose said as he took the bong from Josie and took his own hit.

“Is that a real saying?” Jughead asked, laughing.

Betty, Moose, and Josie all nodded enthusiastically. “It’s a very true saying,” Betty said.

“I learn something new from you stoner kids every time I come over here,” Jughead said in a joking tone. 

“All good, I hope?” Josie asked, teasing. “So, Jughead. Now that you’re hanging with our girl Betty, I feel like we need to get to know you better.”

Jughead tensed. God, he hated meeting people. And talking to people. Couldn’t he just be with Betty without having to do this whole charade of being friends with her friends? He glanced over at Betty, who was giving him an encouraging look, and relaxed a bit. 

“There’s not much to know about me, Josie,” Jughead said, offering the most genuine smile he could muster. “I’m a typical English major. I write too much and I don’t sleep enough. And I work at a coffee shop.”

“I’m with him for the pure stereotype of it all,” Betty joked, grabbing his hand with her own. 

Josie and Moose laughed. “You read a lot like Betty, huh?” Moose asked. “Because honestly, that just seems perfect.”

Jughead nodded, laughing.

“Kevin! Bowl!” Moose suddenly yelled, and Kevin came running over to pack a new one along with Moose. “I’m getting to know Jughead better,” Moose said as Kevin took his hit.

Jughead looked over at the couch and saw that Cheryl and Toni were now heavily making out, which explained Kevin’s change of seating.

“Jughead is the best,” Kevin said after blowing out his hit. “We hung out on Father’s Day, back when you were all off having normal, stable family lives. He’s one of us.”

Betty laughed. “Yeah, we’re all in Daddy Issues Club together.”

“It’s a real fun place to be,” Jughead said, laughing.

Kevin started gushing about a new Tinder guy he’d hooked up with the previous weekend, and the conversation steered away from the topic of Betty and Jughead, allowing Jughead to relax. He watched Betty smoke and join in on the conversation with her friends, and he followed along, laughing genuinely at everyone’s jokes as Betty exchanged occasional glances with him. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Jughead saw Toni pausing from mauling Cheryl to shoot him an “are you okay?” look, which he appreciated. He nodded enthusiastically back and gestured as if to say, “get back into it!” and Toni returned her attentions to Cheryl. 

Betty nudged his arm and he turned back to her. “What’s up?” he asked.

“Just checking in to make sure you’re having fun. I’m sorry we didn’t get to be alone like we hoped,” Betty said, a suggestive twinkle in her eye. 

Jughead grinned back. “No worries, Betts. I like your friends.”

“Our friends,” Betty corrected, nodding her head toward Cheryl and Toni, who were still going at it on the couch.

“Our friends,” Jughead agreed, looking from their friends entangled on the couch to Moose, Josie, and Kevin, enthusiastically yelling and arguing about ideal dick size as they passed the bong around the table.

It wasn’t for another couple hours and three pizzas later until the group finally settled down for the night, with Josie long gone to get her beauty sleep for her gig the following day and Kevin and Moose getting ready to head out to a bar.

Toni got up from the couch with Cheryl (the two had finally rejoined the group for a bit) and gave Jughead a hug. “I would walk back with you, but…I’m staying here,” she said, glancing at Cheryl.

Jughead shook his head, laughing. “No explanation needed, Toni. I can handle the walk home alone. Have a fun night.”

“I’m glad you guys came back and hung out with everyone,” Toni said, addressing Betty too. 

“Me too,” Betty said softly, smiling. “Jug, let me walk you out?” Cheryl and Toni got the hint, making themselves busy cleaning up the cans littering the living room.

Betty grabbed Jughead’s hand as she led him toward the front door and closed the door behind her to say a proper goodbye to him on the front porch. “This was such a fun date,” she whispered. “Sorry it didn’t end quite how we wanted it to…” she trailed off, looking down at her feet before looking up again to meet his eyes. “…but next time?”

Jughead nodded, looking her confidently in the eyes. “Definitely next time.” 

Betty smiled, shivering a bit as she leaned in to give him a kiss hard on the mouth. They pulled back slowly, Jughead rubbing Betty’s shoulders slightly as he pulled back from her. “Are you free tomorrow night?” Betty asked shyly.

Jughead grinned, nodding. “I get off at 6. What did you have in mind?”

“I’d love to make you dinner,” Betty said, still in the same shy tone. Jughead knew it was her anxiety creeping back in, even after they’d had such a great day together. 

“A woman after my own heart,” Jughead said, placing his hand over his heart in an exaggerated gesture. “That sounds perfect.”

“Good,” Betty said, appearing satisfied. “Come over after work tomorrow night.” 

“I’ll be here,” he said, leaning in one more time to kiss her. She opened her eyes slowly. “Good night, Betty.”

“Good night, Jughead,” she said quietly, watching him walk away until he disappeared from her sight. 

When Betty walked back into the apartment, Cheryl and Toni had already disappeared into Cheryl’s room, and for that Betty was grateful. She needed to be alone with her thoughts after a whirlwind of a date. From all the touches and kisses to Jughead beginning to open up about his family with revealing that he had a sister to putting in so much effort to hang out with her friends at the end…Betty knew she was falling hard and fast. She hoped he was feeling the same way. 

Just then, Betty practically jumped at the sound of her phone ringing. 

“Sorry to call so soon,” Betty heard Jughead’s voice say on the other end. “I just miss you already.”

Betty closed her eyes, a warmth radiating through her body and an indescribable tingle taking shelter in the pit of her stomach. “I missed you too, Jug,” she said. 

“How lame are we?” Jughead asked in the joking tone that made Betty fall a little bit harder every time.

Betty got comfortable on her bed, settling in for what she had a feeling would be a long phone conversation. “We’re the lamest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked it! Please leave a comment if u did, they rly make my day!
> 
> BTW - Union Square Donuts is a real place in Somerville with goodass donuts, but I may have taken some liberties with the interior decorating for that Riverdaelian booth ~aesthetic~


	9. July 14, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Betty and Jughead’s quiet night in turns into a full-fledged night out with friends? But this is a classic college night - it seems to last forever, and there’s room for private moments that could change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all like it! As I've said previously, life is a lot right now so I'm finding so much solace in writing about these cuties, but at a slower pace! There is a lot more coming, and I've been doing a lot of long-term planning for this fic! So thanks to everyone for your patience and continued support! This fic gives me life and your comments keep me going! XOXO Maria

**Saturday, July 14**

Jughead had practically raced over to Betty’s apartment after work, not even stopping at home to drop off his apron or run a comb through his hair. It had paid off, earning him a pleasantly surprised Betty checking him out in his post-work roughness; a long, passionate kiss the second the door closed behind them; and a cheese plate sitting in front of him as he watched Betty prepare their meal, bustling around the kitchen with an authoritative purpose he could only dream of having in a kitchen.

He wanted to laugh when he saw Betty’s mini bong with a half-smoked bowl inside of it sitting in its natural place next to the cheese plate on the table. He glanced back over at Betty, stirring something on the stove, and realized she probably wouldn’t be as calm and collected about cooking him this elaborate meal were she completely sober. 

“Whatcha lookin at?” Betty asked, her eyes still seemingly focused on the food. 

“Are you a witch?” Jughead looked completely aghast.

“I could just feel your eyes on me,” Betty said, flipping her hair as she continued her cooking routine. “Stare much?”

She finally turned to look at him and cracked a smile, and Jughead laughed, standing up and coming to grab her by the waist. “I can’t help it,” he said quietly, piercing her with an intense gaze.

Betty dropped the wooden spoon she’d been holding and let her arms wrap around Jughead’s neck before leaning up to kiss him. They kissed languidly for a couple minutes before Betty slowly pulled back. “I can feel your stomach grumbling,” she said, laughing.

Jughead laughed too. “Okay, it was a long work day, Betty.” He gently pulled back.

“I’m sure it was,” Betty said. “So let me make you dinner.” She tipped her head toward the couch and the cheese plate, and Jughead held his hands up in surrender and returned to his original perch.

As he grabbed one of the four types of crackers Betty had laid out and cut himself a piece of cheese, Betty’s words echoed in his head. “So let me make you dinner.” Jughead warmed at the thought. He realized no one had ever really made him dinner before. He looked back over at Betty, pouring pasta into boiling water with such care, and a smile broke out across his face. _How had he gotten so lucky for his path to cross with Betty Cooper’s like this?_ He wasn’t used to being this lucky.

Betty continued what seemed like a well-practiced routine, sneaking occasional glances at Jughead as she prepared some sort of delicious-smelling pasta dish with shrimp. She lit a candle that smelled like clean laundry and set the table with she and Cheryl’s polka dot pink dishes and matching cloth napkins.

Jughead glanced at the mini bong, almost wishing he liked to smoke so he’d have something to do to fill the time besides watching Betty. Something he enjoyed, which was making him feel creepy. After all, how could his eyes NOT trail from her low-cut white tank top down to her short pink denim skirt? Which naturally led his gaze all the way down her long, long legs? 

“Dinner is served,” Betty said, dropping two steaming plates onto the table. She came to stand next to Jughead, taking a rip off her little bong and blowing the smoke toward the cracked window. She held out her hand, helping Jughead off his feet as he grinned at the spread before them on the table.

“This looks and smells amazing, Betts,” he said, running his hand down Betty’s back.

She looked genuinely pleased. “And it tastes even better, so dig in,” she said, sitting down opposite him and gesturing toward the food.

Jughead speared the pasta and some shrimp and made a show of popping his first bite in his mouth. He shut his eyes seemingly in ecstasy as Betty watched him, a smile breaking out across her face at his exaggerated gestures. He opened his eyes and locked eyes with Betty, grinning back at her. “This is amazing, Betty, seriously. Thanks so much for cooking for me.”

Betty clapped her hands together in excitement, letting out a breath of relief as she picked up her own fork. As much as she knew Jughead wasn’t the type to be judgmental about her cooking, she’d wanted it to be perfect. She always wanted everything to be perfect. “I’m so happy you like it,” she said, beginning to eat herself.

Jughead took a healthy sip of water and asked, “Where did you learn to cook?”

Betty looked thoughtful as she chewed. “Actually, my mom taught Polly and me to cook,” she said slowly.

Jughead knew Betty’s parents were a sore subject for her in the same way his parents were for him, so he gave her what he hoped was a tender look and waited for her to continue as he ate.

“It’s honestly one of the few happy memories I have of my mom,” Betty said, a tentative smile creeping across her face. “The Thanksgiving Polly was nine and I was seven, my mom asked Polly and I to help her cook the dinner. It was the only time I saw her be truly patient and careful with us, teaching us all the basics.”

Betty shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. “Sorry,” she said, quickly wiping them with her napkin. “I haven’t had therapy since school let out for the summer, so I guess it was all leaping to get out,” she said, laughing.

Jughead smiled, reaching his hand across the table to clasp hers and she looked at their intertwined hands appreciatively. “Don’t apologize,” Jughead said. “I want to hear all your rants and memories. That you want me to hear, at least.”

Betty nodded, gently taking her hand out of his to resume eating. “Good,” she said, blushing into her pasta. “But, yeah, we would help out at most dinners after that Thanksgiving, but it was never nice or magical like that again. Her usual demanding, controlling ways were back. But at least by the time we broke away from our parents, we both knew how to cook.”

Jughead nodded, watching her carefully as she paused to take another couple bites. “Must’ve been especially helpful for Polly, right?”

Betty laughed. “Definitely. June and Dag can eat more than I ever thought possible.”

Jughead gave her a challenging look. “But that’s before you knew me, Betty. I’m sure I could beat Juniper and Dagwood if we tried hard enough.”

Betty laughed, letting herself take in his playful face. “I think they’d like you,” she said quietly.

He gazed back at her. “I’d love to meet them someday,” he said.

Betty looked down at her plate, refocusing her attention on the food before her. They hadn’t exactly defined their relationship yet, but if that comment had been any indication of Jughead’s feelings on the matter...she could feel her cheeks redden and looked up at Jughead bashfully. “I’d love that too,” she said.

Suddenly, an alarm on Betty’s phone went off and she jumped up, dropping her napkin on her chair. “I almost forgot about the garlic bread!” she said, running over to grab Cheryl’s cherry-print oven mitts.

Jughead looked shocked. “You made GARLIC BREAD too?”

Betty laughed as she retrieved the pan from the oven. “I did!” she declared.

“You are the perfect woman,” he said, making Betty shake her head and blush.

“I’m not perfect,” she said dismissively, coming back to the table to grab another bite of her pasta while she waited for the bread to cool.

“True, no one’s perfect,” Jughead said. “But you’re pretty close.”

Betty gave him a smile through narrowed eyes. “I have a love-hate relationship with the word ‘perfect,’” she admitted. “And an even more complicated relationship with the concept of being perfect.”

“Does it...have to do with your parents?”

Betty nodded, chewing slowly before answering. “My parents wanted us to be perfect. As individuals, as a family. And they would do anything they had to in order to make sure it appeared that way.” She shook her head at the mere memory of the manipulation she and Polly had endured during their childhood. “They were...are...incredibly manipulative people. My therapist says some of my anxiety is intergenerational. From them. In some ways, I’ve always felt the need to be perfect for myself...you know, in school, at extracurricular activities, whatever. But it’s hard to know how much of it is me and how much of it comes from them…”

Jughead was watching her intently with the softest expression she had ever seen, and it emboldened her to continue. “It scares me, sometimes,” she said softly. “That I’ll become like them one day. Whether to my friends or to kids of my own someday. Because I still feel it. That need to be perfect. I mean, you saw it the other night. How upset I got when Felipe’s didn’t work out?”

Jughead nodded, frowning. 

“I knew you didn’t care, rationally I knew that,” Betty continued. “But I couldn’t stop myself from reacting the way I did. It was like, I had this vision in my head of how our night could be perfect. I made a plan, all the steps I had to take to get there. And then the second something threw off the plan, it just shocked me to my core. Even knowing I had a back-up plan, having overthought the plan itself!” She laughed then, and Jughead laughed with her, reaching across the table to grab her hand. Her eyes fluttered closed as he stroked her palm.

“Anyway, thanks for listening,” she said. “I can’t believe you’re willing to put up with me.”

Jughead leaned forward, smiling at her. “I’ll always listen. I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve been here, so I’m far from just ‘putting up with you,’” he said with air quotes.

She rolled her eyes at his cheesiness. “Really, EVERY minute?” she teased.

“Betty, you made me GARLIC BREAD!” Jughead said, as if this fact alone punctuated his point.

“Oh, right! The garlic bread! It’s gotta be cool by now,” Betty said, rushing to the counter to slice the bread and place it on a platter for serving. Jughead watched her, impressed. Cheryl and Betty had to be the only college students he knew with such nice dinnerware.

She finally returned to the table with the bread, placing it on the table with an exaggerated curtsy. Jughead looked down at the plate of garlic bread with a look that mirrored Betty’s stoned look of love for her nachos earlier that week. Betty quickly grabbed her phone out of her skirt pocket and slyly snapped a photo while he was distracted trying to decide which piece to eat first. 

She slid back into the seat opposite him. “Come on, Jug, I want to know what you think of the bread!”

Jughead finally took a bite and let out a groan of satisfaction. “This is amazing, Betts,” he said.

While he was distractedly eating his garlic bread, Betty posted the photo on Instagram, using the same caption he’d gotten her with. Jughead heard a ding come from his phone and looked up to find Betty smirking at him. “What did you do?” he said, a sly smile of his own crossing his face as he opened the Instagram notification.

Staring back at him was a photo of himself looking adoringly at the garlic bread. “Jughead vs. Garlic Bread,” read the caption, with a heart emoji and bread emoji to top it off. “You got me, Cooper,” he said, looking up at her.

“Don’t underestimate me, Jones,” Betty said, meeting his eyes with her own challenging look. With a hint of sultry. At least that’s what she was going for. 

\---

Betty honestly couldn’t remember how they ended up horizontal on the couch, Jughead’s entire body covering Betty’s as he held her face with one hand and her ass with the other. Betty’s hands were stroking through Jughead’s hair as she moaned into his mouth. He let his lips trail away from her lips and across her face, dropping tiny kisses onto her forehead, her nose, then each cheek, her chin, and down her neck. Betty let out a groan, watching him and whispering, “Jug.”

He looked up at her, meeting her soft eyes with his own. “Yeah?” he whispered.

“I really like...being with you,” she said, realizing she wasn’t exactly sure how to express what she was feeling. That she couldn’t believe they were here, kissing like this, entirely uninhibited, after she’d poured her heart out to him about her parents over dinner.

“Me too,” Jughead said, looking into her eyes. 

Betty smiled and grabbed his face, kissing him hard again before pulling his flannel off his body. He smiled into the kiss as he helped her, and they both let the flannel drop to the ground. They made out heatedly, their bodies pressing as close to each other as was possible when fully clothed, the remnants of dinner long forgotten on the table.

This was perhaps the most surprising thing about the scene before them when Cheryl and Josie walked in about five minutes later.

“Well, hello, Betty,” Cheryl said, whistling.

Betty and Jughead looked up, gasping when they saw Cheryl and Josie standing in the middle of the living room, arms crossed and amused looks on both their faces.

“Well, hello, Jughead,” Josie added, looking both Betty and Jughead up and down as they pulled apart and sat up on the couch.

“Hey guys,” Betty said, blushing as she ran her hands through her messy hair. “I didn’t know you’d be home so early.”

“Clearly,” Cheryl said, laughing. She surveyed the kitchen table. “I don’t think I’ve ever known Betty Cooper to let dishes sit dirty for longer than two minutes after she’s done eating! Congrats, Jughead,” she shot him an impressed look. “You’re really getting our beautiful Betty to relax.”

Betty and Jughead both blushed at the sexual implication. 

“Yes, very unlike me,” Betty said quickly. “Jughead and I will just bring our dishes into the kitchen and clean them up. So they’re not in your way.”

Cheryl gave her a knowing but friendly look. “Do your thing, B. Bowl packed?”

“Yes, feel free to finish it,” Betty said, tugging Jughead up and leading him to the table, where they both started piling dishes to bring to the kitchen.

“Are you okay?” Betty asked Jughead, letting her voice drop.

“Just a little shaken,” he admitted. “Not your fault, though,” he quickly added.

“I thought Cheryl said she and Josie were going out!” Betty said, shaking her head. “Those sneaky bitches.” 

Jughead laughed as Betty led them into the kitchen and started rinsing the plates. They fell into an easy rhythm, Betty rinsing before handing dishes to Jughead to load into the dishwasher.

“Well, we won’t let it ruin our night,” Jughead said quietly, taking a moment to rub Betty’s back. “Even if I’m a little embarrassed. Don’t have much experience with being walked in on. Considering there hadn’t really been anything to walk in on before now.”

Betty laughed. “Honestly, I’ve never been walked in on doing anything with anyone before either. So that’s a first we have experienced together.” She bumped his hip with her own and Jughead smiled, finding that oddly intimate. _What other firsts would they experience together?_

Jughead closed the dishwasher before bringing his arms around Betty and placing a soft kiss on her temple. He pulled back, smiling down at her as she smirked back up at him. “What is it, Jug?” she asked playfully.

He sighed exaggeratedly. “Shall we go hang out with your friends now?”

“Only if you want to!” Betty said, an insistent look on her face.

Jughead laughed, running his hands up and down Betty’s arms. “I want to, I promise. I like your friends. And I like hanging out with you with them.”

“Okay, good,” Betty said, leaning up and giving him a peck on the mouth. “Follow my lead.” 

They came back into the living room, where Josie was ashing the bowl from the armchair while Cheryl grinded up weed to pack a new one on the end of the couch.

“Hello, friends,” Josie chirped as Betty and Jughead settled themselves beside Cheryl on the couch. 

“Where are you two coming from?” Betty asked, watching Cheryl take a big first hit off the bong.

Cheryl and Josie looked at each other and burst out laughing, Cheryl clutching her hand to her chest and coughing a bit before passing the bong to Josie. Jughead caught Betty’s eye and Betty wanted to laugh aloud at the confused look she saw reflected back at her. 

“Y’all,” Betty said, clearing her throat to get their attention. “Wanna try even a modicum of normalcy in front of my…” She paused, fumbling again over the quietly awkward fact that she and Jughead still hadn’t defined their relationship status. “...in front of Jughead,” she finished quickly, accepting the bong Josie was offering. She took a hurried hit in a feeble attempt to cover it up.

It hadn’t gotten past Jughead, however. Jughead could tell it hadn’t gotten past Cheryl either from the glint in her eyes as she smirked at him. If what Toni had told him was true, very little got past Cheryl.

“We’re sorry,” Josie said, crossing her legs and offering Jughead a kind smile. “We’re laughing because I asked Cheryl to come along with me to a rehearsal with this guitar player I play corporate events with. He’s a little...much, so I wanted a companion.”

She exchanged a look with Cheryl and they both burst out laughing again, Cheryl falling back on the couch as she tried to catch her breath. Betty shook her head, taking the opportunity to take another hit and exchanging a look of exasperation with Jughead. If they were this high already, maybe she could make an excuse for them to get away to her room…

Just as the wheels were beginning to turn in Betty’s head, Cheryl’s voice interrupted. “Anyway, Jughead. Nice Instagram of my girl Betty the other night. I see she returned the favor today.” 

Jughead looked up, a blush tinting his cheeks as he awkwardly rubbed his neck. “Thanks?” he said. 

Betty laughed and leaned into Jughead. “Just appease her.” 

“I heard that!” Cheryl said as Josie giggled beside her. 

“Cheryl, you have to admit, you’re interrogating the poor boy,” Josie said. 

“Oh, don’t underestimate Jughead, Josie,” Cheryl said. “He grew up with my girl Toni, and if I know anything, it’s that he’s a strong one.” Cheryl winked at Jughead before taking a hit off the bong Betty offered her, and Jughead smiled back at her, remembering immediately why Toni had chosen this enigma of a redhead sitting before them. 

“Oh my God!” Josie cried, looking down at something on her phone. “The night is saved. Moose and Kevin just texted that they’re having an impromptu party over at the house! And of course we’re all invited!” 

Cheryl looked impressed, letting out an excited “wooo!” along with a fresh plume of smoke, while Betty and Jughead exchanged a look of horror, both having the identical thought: _can we get out of this?_  
  


\---

The answer, they quickly found, was no.

Cheryl and Josie were so insistent that Betty and Jughead join them that Jughead was the first to cave. 

_"And there isn’t even a theme, so it’s not like we’ll look weird.”  
“...Besides, Jughead, Moose and Kevin are simply dying to share a nightcap with you, get to know the man who’s stolen our dear Betty’s heart…”_

As Jughead surrendered to Cheryl’s impressively articulate argument as to why they must come to the gathering, Betty looked into his eyes and saw something familiar: the same pleading, hopeless look she had probably had in her own eyes the many times her friends made her tag along to a party she hadn’t been up for. 

She couldn’t help but smile, feeling less alone in the experience. _One of us, one of us, one of us._ Besides, it was nice that he was integrating into his rightful place in their friend group - right beside her.

As Cheryl and Josie frantically scrambled to get ready for the party in Cheryl’s room, Betty pulled Jughead down the hallway and into her own room, closing the door behind them.

She looped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft, slow kiss. When she pulled back, she grabbed his chin gently in her hand and looked into his eyes. “Level with me,” she said. “Are you legitimately okay with going to this party?”

Jughead felt a flutter in his chest at her words, delivered with a firmness that seemed to imply she would find a way to get them out of this if he needed her to. It made him feel taken care of in a way he’d rarely felt before. He gazed down at her, a soft look of adoration in his eyes. “I’ll be okay. We can always steal away to those...quiet corners, right?”

A huge smile broke out across Betty’s face. “The corners are as quiet as ever,” she said, leaning up to kiss him again. She pulled away. “Let me just touch up my makeup. I hadn’t really counted on leaving tonight,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly. 

Jughead laughed, making himself comfortable on Betty’s bed as she settled herself at her vanity, pulling out a couple different tubes and palettes from the drawers. “You know,” Jughead said slyly as he settled into Betty’s soft mattress. “We could always just stay here…”

Betty turned around with a sharp look on her face, but laughed when she took in the sight of Jughead snuggled up on her bed. “We could both use a little socialization, don’t you think?” They both laughed and he nodded, allowing her to return her focus to applying her makeup.

Jughead took the opportunity to look around Betty’s room, at the Polaroids of her and the whole gang laughing and clutching red cups and pulling each other close with arms looped around shoulders and backs. It reminded him of the energy he’d felt when that song they all seemed to love had come on at Kevin and Moose’s party, during Melody’s DJ set. They had all been so in sync, so completely lost in the music and each other. 

“You ready?” Betty asked. She was now standing next to the bed, watching him with amusement as he gazed at a photo of Betty hugging Cheryl from behind while Kevin kissed Betty’s cheek. She came closer to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. He leaned back into her warmth.

“You guys really love each other,” Jughead finally said.

Betty nodded, allowing her eyes to settle on the photo he’d been focused on. “We really do,” she replied softly.

He grasped Betty’s hands with his own before turning around to face her. “Alright,” he conceded. “Let’s go party.”

\---

The party house was much less put together this time, and it put Jughead slightly at ease. A bag of chips lazily thrown in a bowl. Couches hastily pushed back to make space. Impromptu parties were more his style. He understood them more. 

Jughead sat next to Betty on a couch in the living room of Moose and Kevin’s apartment, surveying the room nervously while Betty laughed with Moose and Kevin as the three of them passed around Old Rusty. (Upon entering the party, Josie and Cheryl had declared it unacceptable that there was no dancing and then hurried purposefully downstairs to set up a playlist on the basement speakers.)

There were a couple dozen people milling around the living room and kitchen area, nursing cans of beer and mixed drinks out of red cups. It was mainly jock-y types, clearly friends of Moose and Kevin’s roommates, huddled in groups. Jughead also noticed a smaller subset of gay dudes settled by the drinks in the kitchen and smirked, assuming these were the other people Moose and Kevin had contributed to the guest list.

“Jughead.” Jughead felt Betty touch his thigh and looked up to find Moose, Kevin, and Betty all looking at him with smiles on their faces.

“Sorry,” Jughead said. “I was people-watching. Quite an eclectic group you’ve got assembled here tonight.”

Moose and Kevin laughed, both scanning the room. “Ah yes, there are a lot of the other guys’ friends this time. The gays don’t do as well on such short notice,” Kevin said, causing Betty and Moose to giggle. 

“It is a weird crowd in here tonight,” Betty admitted, taking her hand off Jughead’s thigh to accept the bong Moose was passing her and Jughead found himself missing the warmth of her touch.

“Cheryl and Josie will save the day,” Moose said. 

“They always do!” Betty said, smiling.

As Kevin leaned forward toward Jughead and launched into a story about a past party at the apartment during which Cheryl had saved the day with exactly one lipstick and a bag of ice, Betty noticed Reggie standing near the front door with a couple other jocks. He looked up at her and smirked when he saw her eyes on him, giving her a tiny wave. Betty scowled back at him, looking away and putting her arm around Jughead, who was still engrossed in Kevin’s story, and rejoining the conversation.

It didn’t make a difference, though. Less than a minute later, Reggie was sauntering up to their group. 

“Betty!” he called. “I didn’t see you come in.” He lifted his arms as if expecting a hug, but Betty stayed in her position wrapped around Jughead on the couch as she met his eyes with a cold stare.

“Hey, Reggie,” she said neutrally. “Gonna say hi to Jughead too?”

Reggie narrowed his eyes but said, “Of course. Good to see you again, Jug-Head.” He looked around at the group. “Y’all smoking another bowl?” 

Moose showed the empty bowl he had just ashed. “Nah, we just finished.”

Reggie perched himself on the edge of the couch, so he was nudging Jughead as he leaned over him to look at Betty, to both their annoyance. “Let’s pack another,” Reggie said. “I know Betty is always down for another bowl. You must know that too, Jughead, huh? Can you keep up with her?”

Betty and Jughead both rolled their eyes. “Shut the fuck up, Reggie,” Betty said.

“Easy, Cooper, I’m just making friendly conversation,” Reggie said, throwing his hands up in surrender.

“Reggie,” Kevin said warningly. “Stop bothering Betty. If I pack another bowl, will you shut the fuck up?”

Reggie laughed. “Seems like a fair trade.”

From the basement came the dull sound of a microphone turning on and distant cheering. Betty smiled, relief washing over her, recognizing Cheryl and Josie’s voices clear as day. Less than a minute later, “Hypnotize” came on. A couple people upstairs started walking toward the basement, lulled by the classic party song, and Betty took the opportunity to pull Jughead to his feet.

“Let’s go dance, Jug,” she said, and Jughead happily grabbed her hand and let her lead him away.

In the kitchen, Betty paused and rested her hand on his chest. “You okay? Sorry Reggie is such an ass,” Betty said.

“Are YOU okay?” Jughead asked, rubbing Betty’s back. “I can’t believe he won’t stop harassing you every time we see him.”

“Oh, believe it. Kevin and Moose try their best to keep him in line, but sometimes it feels like we’re simply fighting a losing battle. Anyway, let’s just avoid him for the rest of the night.”

Jughead smiled. “Agreed.”

“Now...about that dance?” Betty nudged her head in the direction of the staircase, which a few more partygoers were currently walking down in the direction of the music.

Jughead shook his head, but knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse Betty at least a few minutes of dancing. After all, she was the only person it was ever any fun to dance with. “Okay, okay, let’s do it.”

Betty and Jughead met Cheryl running up the stairs (impressive in heels) as they held hands making their way slowly down. “Impeccable timing on the music, Cheryl,” Betty said, briefly embracing her as they all paused.

“Thanks for saving us from Reggie,” Jughead added in explanation.

Cheryl frowned, shaking her head. “Ugh, Reggie again? I’ll give him a talking-to. We’re all friends, he needs to back off. I was already going to get everyone down here so we can have a real dance party. You two get down there and start dancing!” She disappeared up the stairs, and Jughead and Betty joined the growing throng of people dancing on the floor.

Betty held her hands up and started wiggling around and Jughead wiggled his hips back and forth as he noncommittally danced a couple feet from her. She laughed and moved closer to Jughead, placing her arms around his neck as he allowed his to slide to her waist. “Hi,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him. They kissed for a couple minutes before Betty pulled back.

“Spin me!” she said, holding her arms out to Jughead. He laughed and spinned her into him, Betty practically falling over as she collided with him.

They both giggled, earning disapproving looks from a couple of the jocks and basic girls surrounding them. “Bite me, basics,” Betty said under her breath and Jughead laughed harder. He truly only had this much fun with Betty.

“Let’s try it more gracefully this time,” Jughead said, offering his hand to Betty.

“Really?” Betty said, her cheeks flushed from laughing. “You’re trusting me after that klutzy ass performance?”

“For a grateful nerd like you, yes,” Jughead said and Betty wanted to kiss the smirk off his face.

“How about this?” Betty asked as she backed herself up into Jughead, making him gulp as her ass slid over his front. 

Not wanting to back down from the challenge, however, Jughead slid his hands down to settle on her hips as she placed her hands over his and they rocked and swayed to the song together, finding a rhythm. 

At the end of the song, Jughead leaned down and kissed Betty’s cheek. She smiled, turning around in his arms and kissing him full on the lips before they resumed dancing. Jughead realized for the first time in a few minutes that he wasn’t even paying attention to the people around them, so lost in Betty.

The spell was broken a few minutes later when Cheryl came downstairs arm in arm with Kevin, Chuck and Reggie following closely behind them. Cheryl immediately spotted Betty and Jughead dancing, uninhibited and laughing with each other. She smiled. “Bughead so cute,” she cooed to Kevin.

“You read my fucking mind,” Kevin gushed back as they danced their way over to Betty and Jughead. 

“Hey guys!” Kevin said, bumping Jughead’s hip with his own as everyone laughed. Betty and Jughead broke apart and started dancing with Kevin and Cheryl. In the laughter, Reggie and Chuck quickly followed and seamlessly joined their circle.

“I was looking for you!” Cheryl said breathlessly. “Josie already found a boo and I needed some feminine energy.” She looked apologetically over at Reggie and Chuck and then Betty. Betty shook her head back in silent understanding. They all turned around to check out Josie dancing up on this new boo, a beautiful Berklee SoundCloud rapper type. 

“I’ve got respect for Josie’s game,” Chuck said to everyone’s laughter. 

Kevin put his arm around Jughead and gushed to him about the guy Josie was with and all the intel he’d gathered from his Instagram, as Jughead feigned interested nods. He wanted Betty’s friends to like him, after all, and Kevin was a pretty cool dude. Even if they had very little in common.

Reggie took advantage of Jughead’s distraction, dancing his way past Kevin and sidling up next to Betty, with Chuck following his lead.

“Hey Betty,” Chuck said, giving her his signature “good guy” smile. Betty knew better though, and had for awhile.

Betty rolled her eyes. “Hey, Chuck. Reggie.” She kept her eyes on Jughead talking to Kevin as she danced.

“You look a little lonely,” Reggie said. “Want a dance partner?”

Chuck shoved Reggie aside. “Yeah, dance with me, Betts.”

At the sound of “Betts,” the nickname Jughead had recently started using, Jughead looked up and realized Chuck and Reggie were both zeroing in on Betty, practically surrounding his...girlfriend? Girl he was seeing? They really needed to have a talk about that pesky relationship status. Jughead locked eyes with Betty as she shot him a pleading look, both Chuck and Reggie shooting her flirtatious eyes that made Jughead’s eyes narrow. He had never felt this possessive before in his life, and it scared him. _Didn’t they know Betty had come with him? Had been dancing with him? She didn’t need a partner; she had him._ More important than the rest of that stuff, Jughead could see Betty was uncomfortable.

“Excuse me, Kevin,” he said, shoving him aside and moving toward Betty. 

“...we’ll see if I have time to attend,” Betty was saying to Reggie and Chuck as Jughead maneuvered himself around them until he was standing next to Betty. 

“What’s going on, guys?” Jughead asked.

“Just catching up with our old friend, Betty,” Chuck said, making Reggie smirk. “We go way back.”

Betty narrowed her eyes as she digged her nails into her palms. She wanted to scream. She hated men! As always when Reggie cornered her, she deeply regretted the meaningless month she had spent with Reggie during her most depressive period of her sophomore year. She wanted to yell at them: “I’m with Jughead! I have never liked anyone as much as I like him and I want to date only him so shut the fuck up and back the fuck off!” but, of course, she returned to the question of she and Jughead’s undefined relationship status. She couldn’t shout something she didn’t technically know to be true, that she and Jughead were exclusively together, even if it was exactly what she wanted. What she wanted, she realized, was to get far away from Reggie and Chuck and everyone and be alone with Jughead to finally talk about what they were, what they wanted to be.

Jughead reached his hand down and pried Betty’s nails away from her skin as he slipped his own hand into her palm instead. Betty smiled down at their joined hands, snapping out of her thoughts. She turned away from Reggie and Chuck, who were both rolling their eyes at her action, and leaned up to whisper in Jughead’s ear, “Wanna go find one of those dark corners?”

Jughead smirked and nodded, leaning down to kiss her softly. Reggie and Chuck shook their heads and stalked away, finally admitting defeat. Betty smiled as she opened her eyes and saw Reggie and Chuck dancing further away in the crowd.

“Success,” she said, pulling him forward. “Now let’s go upstairs.”

\---

Neither of them said anything as they made their way through the sparsely populated living room and up the two flights of stairs to Kevin’s room. 

Finally, Betty closed the door behind them and locked it. Jughead smirked. “I like your style,” he said.

She came to meet him, placing her hands on his chest. “Our friends like to interrupt us too much.”

“I agree,” Jughead said, leaning down to kiss her. 

Betty pulled back. “Can we put a pin in that for a minute?” she said.

Jughead gave her an inquisitive look. “Of course,” he said, pausing for a beat. “Anything in particular you’d like to do instead?”

Betty nodded, looking nervous. “Can we...talk about...us?” 

Jughead nodded, relieved that she wanted to talk about the same thing that had been gnawing at him all night. “Let’s sit down. I assume ‘dark corner’ included you smoking a bowl?” Jughead said, gesturing toward Kevin’s bed.

Betty smiled, pulling her little spoon bowl out of her bag and packing it with weed that was waiting in her grinder. She took a couple deep hits before placing the bowl on Kevin’s nightstand, folding her hands in her lap, and turning to face Jughead. “First of all,” she said. “I seriously am so sick of Kevin and Moose’s roommates, and am so sorry you had to deal with that. I swear, I’m not coming back here until they apologize for this behavior. Like they really mean it!”

A smile broke out across Jughead’s face at her rant. He loved the passion that weed always seemed to coax out of Betty. “You tell them, Betty,” he said, pumping his fist.

Betty laughed. “I will. But anyway.” She breathed in deep. “Back to the subject of us.”

Jughead nodded, reaching for Betty’s hand and stroking her palm to ensure she wouldn’t dig her nails in. She smiled at the gesture. “What do you want us to be?” she whispered, looking intently at Jughead.

“I want us to be this. Spending time together, a lot. Whether it’s alone like earlier tonight or with your friends or,” he paused to gulp. “In one of our beds.”

Betty smiled, blushing. “I want that too,” she said.

“But while we’re on the topic of Reggie and Chuck, I hate that those guys flirt with you and that it makes you uncomfortable,” he paused, looking guilty. “And another part of me is…jealous. And it’s weird for me because I’ve never felt jealous or possessive, and I don’t want to be possessive in a way that crosses the line because I’m not entitled to you, Betty…”

Betty laughed, unable to hold it in. “It’s cute when you ramble,” she said. 

“Don’t make fun of me,” Jughead said jokingly as Betty leaned forward to kiss him softly.

“So, you were saying?” Betty said.

“I was saying that...I want to be with you. Just you and me, exclusively. And I want everyone to know that you’re with me,” Jughead said, slowly. “Maybe then the assholes will shut the fuck up.”

Betty smiled. “So, like, we’d be together together? Boyfriend-girlfriend, dating, together?”

Jughead laughed. “Yes, I guess, all of the above! What does any of this relationship label stuff even mean anyway?”

Betty laughed as well. “Honestly, I have no idea. But I think we’re on the same page,” she said. She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. “I’m glad we figured that out,” she said as she pulled back.

“Me too,” Jughead said, rubbing her back. “But now I really gotta pee. Be right back.”

Betty took advantage of the time to finish her bowl. Just as she was standing up to toss the contents of the ashtray into Kevin’s garbage can (God, he let this thing get so dirty!), Jughead came back in, closing the door behind him.

“Aren’t you gonna lock it?” Betty asked innocently even as the look she fixed Jughead with was smoldering.

“Sure thing,” Jughead said, maintaining eye contact as he clicked the lock into place. “Girlfriend.”

Betty smiled and walked up to Jughead. “You want me to call you it, don’t you?”

Jughead nodded, playing along. “I said it. Fair is fair.”

Betty tapped her finger against her chin and thought to herself for a second. “I don’t think I feel like calling you it. I mean, who says I have to right now?”

Jughead grabbed Betty by the shoulders and gave her a deep kiss. He pulled back suddenly, causing Betty to moan at the loss. “Say it?” he whispered in her ear.

She shook her head, blushing. He licked her neck, causing Betty to moan. “I didn’t know you were a tease,” Betty whispered as Jughead pulled away and backed himself toward the bed.

“I’m just waiting for you to say it, Betty,” he said, smiling innocently as he held his hands up in surrender.

Betty rolled her eyes, a frustrated flush painting her face as she walked back toward Jughead. “Fine,” she said. “Boyfriend,” she whispered.

“Was that so hard?” Jughead asked before leaning down to kiss her.

Betty smiled and deepened the kiss, walking her hands up his chest and around his neck as he grabbed her waist and, then, daringly, creeped his hands lower and squeezed her ass. She moaned into his mouth and lightly pushed him toward the bed. 

Jughead took the hint and dropped down to Kevin’s bed. Betty perched herself in Jughead’s lap, leaning down to kiss him deeply as she ran her hands through his hair. He groaned and lightly tugged at the bottom of her shirt. She pulled back immediately, grabbing her shirt and pulling it over her head, letting it fall to the ground next to her purse. She quickly grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it up his body with a little assistance from Jughead. She leaned back in and they kissed heatedly. Betty felt like her entire body was on fire, all she could think about was getting closer to Jughead, feeling his heat against hers. 

He kissed desperately back, wanting and craving Betty’s touch more than he could ever remember craving anything beyond, like, food. He ran his fingers up her back, marveling at how soft her skin was and playing with the straps of her light pink lace bra. He pulled back from Betty to drop kisses on her shoulder and up her neck as she moaned and stroked his hair. He paused to look up at Betty, to truly take in the sight of her in just a bra, her cheeks flushed as she gazed back at him with a look of pure desire in her eyes. 

She similarly let her eyes graze down his bare chest, taking in all the curves. At the same time, they each took in their surroundings: Betty caught a glimpse of a Spice Girls poster as Jughead noticed the Golden Girls boxset DVD his shirt had landed on.

“We’re in Kevin’s room!” Betty shrieked, looking down at her bra.

“We’re in Kevin’s room topless,” Jughead agreed, laughing a little bit as he looked down at his own bare chest.

Betty flushed. “I was really into it,” she admitted, smiling at him. “But maybe we got too caught up considering we ARE in our friend’s room.”

Jughead nodded, considering. “However, if anyone were to approve of us hooking up in his room, Kevin would be the one.”

Betty laughed, crossing her arms over her chest subconsciously. It felt a little weird to be having such a dignified conversation without their shirts on, when just a couple moments before they had been in the throes of passion. 

“You’re right,” she said, reaching down to pick up her shirt. “To be continued...in one of our rooms?” Betty asked as she pulled her shirt back on. 

Jughead nodded, shooting her a soft smile as he stooped down to pick his own shirt up off the floor. “Please, yes,” he said, leaning over to kiss Betty once they both were fully clothed again.

“Wanna get out of here?” Betty asked. “I think I’ve had about enough for one night.”

\---

Betty and Jughead walked down the street hand in hand, laughing and joking loudly about everyone in the party that night, finally free to air their opinions and grievances as loud as they wanted. 

They went after people’s outfits, stank looks Betty had been given or perceived to have been given. (Jughead would say that about half of the slights were real and the other half produced by Betty’s anxiety.)

“Oh god, my therapist tells me I do that sometimes,” Betty said, shaking her head. “It’s a bad habit of mine I’m working on.”

Jughead nodded, smiling. “That’s great. You said it’s a therapist through the school, right?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s free with tuition and I can’t really afford therapy right now. Hopefully whatever I do after college will have healthcare and I can continue after we graduate,” she looked nervously into the distance.

Jughead squeezed Betty’s hand, pulling her out of whatever anxious whirlpool was swirling in her head. “Hey,” he said. “Let’s not worry about that now. It’s such a nice night.”

It had rained while they’d been inside the party house, leaving a layer of wetness on the ground and a bit of a chill in the air. Betty rubbed her arms with her hands and Jughead pulled her close, putting his arm around her. “You cold?” he asked, whispering in her ear.

Betty giggled, pulling back from him. “You’re such a weirdo. Is whispering in my ear your new move?”

Jughead leaned in to whisper in her ear again. “Is it working?” 

Betty laughed again, pushing him back before grabbing his hands and pulling him close to her again. They ended up making out against a road sign for a couple minutes until Jughead bumped his head. 

“Ow!” Jughead said as Betty rubbed at his beanie. He pulled it off, rubbing at his head. Betty gulped, realizing it was the first time she’d seen him wit his beanie fully off. The times they'd heatedly made out it had fallen out of place, but never completely off. He realized it too as they locked eyes. He didn’t say anything, just leaned in and kissed Betty softly before pulling the beanie back on. “You look so beautiful tonight,” he said quietly. “I don’t remember if I said that.”

Betty blushed. “Let’s get home,” she said after a moment of silence. “It’s not safe for us out here, apparently.” They both looked at the street sign and laughed before walking the rest of the way to Betty’s apartment.

“Do you want to come in?” Betty asked at her front door, a hopeful look in her eyes at the thought of what they’d been heading toward in Kevin’s bedroom. 

Jughead shook his head. If he was honest with himself, he’d definitely wanted to go further in Kevin’s room, and he wanted some time to think about that and reflect on it before actually going there. He knew Betty would understand. Plus, he was feeling like he might be able to get some writing done tonight before Toni and Sweet Pea got back from their bar shifts. 

“I gotta go home,” he said, frowning, as a part of him would like nothing more than to come inside and cuddle up with Betty and explore whatever else that would entail or lead to. “I’m actually feeling pretty inspired. Maybe I’ll write something brilliant and then be so tired I actually fall asleep.”

Betty smiled, tugging Jughead to him by his t-shirt and then cupping his face. “Good luck writing,” she said softly. “And sleeping. I’ll be thinking of you.” 

Jughead gulped at the sexual implication before leaning in to give her a long, soft kiss. “Good night.”

“Text me when you get home!” she called. They kept eye contact until he could no longer see her house, and then she finally closed the door and came inside, texting Cheryl, Kevin, Moose, and Josie that she’d called it a night before returning to her room. 

Sitting in bed with her royal blue mini bong, Betty smiled at the memory of the night. In the bedroom, she’d liked how playful he’d been with her. They were getting closer and closer to uncharted territory with every time they were alone together, and she flushed at the thought that they had already developed an easy rhythm in the bedroom. With the couple guys she’d gone a bit further with before, things had never felt this in sync or exciting. _Cheryl would be proud,_ Betty found herself thinking before finishing off her bowl and pulling out her vibrator for further reflection on the night to lull her to sleep.

\---

An hour and a half into writing, Jughead hit a block. He couldn’t stop thinking about Betty and how excited he was that they had finally defined themselves. _Betty, my girlfriend,_ he thought. _How weird._ But it also felt right, thinking back to Kevin’s bedroom and the need he’d felt for Betty, the drive to just get as close to her as he possibly could. 

Initially, his excitement at this new sexual development had fueled his writing, but it seemed the well had dried up. Jughead’s hands hovered over the keyboard, the letters glowing back at him tauntingly as his mind remained blank. The image of Betty in her bra sitting on the bed swam to the front of his mind again, and he closed his laptop, pushing away from the desk. 

Jughead walked over to his bed and collapsed, looking up at the ceiling and attempting to yawn. He closed his eyes, kept them tightly shut for a good five minutes, counting Mississippis. He thought of Betty. His mental image of her almost always included her ripping a wax pen or taking a hit off the nearest bong. He sat up. Weed.

He walked back over to his desk and opened his laptop. He cracked his knuckles and opened a new Google tab. Tonight was the night he would research the shit out of weed and insomnia once and for all. 

By the time Sweet Pea and Toni came tumbling in from their bar shifts at 2 AM, Jughead was waiting for them in the living room, sitting on the couch next to a stack of paper as he looked at them expectantly.

“Jesus Christ, Jug,” Toni said, jumping slightly. “Don’t scare us like that. What are you doing in the living room? You’re usually in your room typing away at this hour.”

Sweet Pea looked down at the stack of documents. “What is this? Late night insomnia cure research again?”

Jughead nodded. “I think I might finally be ready to try weed,” he said, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

Toni clapped her hands together, putting her bag down and rushing to sit next to him on the couch. 

Sweet Pea settled himself on the armchair opposite them. “That’s great, Jug. Did researching it help you change your mind?”

Jughead looked thoughtful. “Yes and no. Part of me needed the research almost to...check off a box, I guess? It’s something I’ve just always done, something I always do when I’m trying to find out something new. Research. But finally feeling ready to try this? That’s...all Betty.”

Sweet Pea and Toni both looked surprised but said nothing, waiting for Jughead to continue.

“We...finally defined our relationship tonight,” Jughead finally said. “We’re together, officially. Like, she’s my...girlfriend.”

The word still felt foreign on his tongue, but that’s why he was breaking it in. Taking it out for a test drive.

Toni whooped loudly. 

“Well, you definitely woke Fangs up,” Sweet Pea said, shaking his head even as a smile broke out across his face. “I am very happy for you, though, Jones.”

“Thanks, Sweet Pea,” he said, beaming back at him. “And for the record, Fangs is sleeping with someone from work. He texted me not to wait up for him.”

Toni and Sweet Pea both laughed. That was Fangs’ joke with Jughead, since Jughead was almost always awake to witness and mock Fangs’ walks of shame.

“So, defining the relationship,” Toni said. “How did that change things for you? I’m just curious.”

“It wasn’t just defining the relationship. It was…” Jughead blushed. “Okay, we ended up making out pretty...heatedly? in Kevin’s room.”

Toni nodded, looking impressed. “I know a thing or two about defiling Kevin’s bedroom,” she said.

Jughead rolled his eyes. “Oh, I know. The first time I was ever in that room, you and Cheryl started making out like me and Betty weren’t even there!”

Sweet Pea shook his head, laughing. “Y’all are too much,” he said.

“We’re a great couple!” Toni said as Sweet Pea and Jughead laughed at her defensiveness.

“Anyway,” Jughead said. “I just realized how much I trust her. I wanted to go...further with her in the bedroom. Like I can picture myself doing everything with her. And if I can picture myself opening up sexually to her like that...then I know I can trust her to show me smoking. Even if I’m scared.”

Sweet Pea and Toni nodded. “That’s amazing, Jug,” Toni said.

“Plus, it’s good you have Betty to show you. You know we dabble, but we’re not the full-fledged stoners that say, Cheryl and Betty are,” Sweet Pea admitted.

“Oh yeah, we bow down to the weed queens,” Toni said laughing. She paused. “Wait, does this mean you’re gonna tell Betty everything? About your parents’ addictions and...everything?”

Jughead nodded. “Soon, yes.”

Toni looked impressed again. “I’m so proud of you, Jones.” She paused. “But now I need dinner.”

As Toni and Sweet Pea raided the kitchen for something to eat, Jughead texted Betty on the off chance she was awake. He was excited, exhilarated by this decision he had made. He didn’t necessarily want to try smoking right now, but he did want to talk to Betty about his decision and hear what she had to say. He knew she’d be excited and a part of him just wanted to watch her face light up.

JUGHEAD:  
Any chance you’re up? I have a potentially very exciting development to discuss.

He tapped the couch nervously for a minute, staring at the text, willing the three gray dots to appear on the screen before him. He finally gave up, joining Sweet Pea and Toni in the kitchen, laughing at their stories about their shifts as they ate. Suddenly, his phone lit up with Betty’s name. Jughead grabbed his phone off the counter so fast Toni and Sweet Pea burst out laughing.

“Whipped!” Sweet Pea joked.

Jughead shot him a middle finger as he opened the text from Betty.

BETTY:  
Intriguing! Lucky for you, that alcohol from the party had me up peeing at this late, late hour! What’s goin on?

Jughead smirked at her message and walked into his room before calling her. 

“Hello, boyfriend,” she said, picking up immediately.

Jughead laughed. “Are you really gonna call me that?”

“Wow!” Betty said jokingly. “After all of that earlier? I am offended, I thought you would be delighted to hear that sacred word.”

“Fine, girlfriend, we can keep this going a little while longer.”

“Anyway, what’s this development you so urgently needed to text me about at the late, late hour of 2:45 am?”

Jughead laughed. “You’re such a grandma.”

“Yes, yes, I am,” Betty said, laughing.

“Will you be able to handle a kind of long talk? Because this new development requires one.”

Without even thinking, Betty blurted out, “Come over!”

“Really? You’ll be okay with that this late?”

“Cheryl’s passed out, and...if it’s an important talk I want to see your face. I’m already awake.”

Something stirred in Jughead at the softness in her voice, tinged with a hint of a yawn. She was cute when just woken up. Suddenly he felt like he needed to see her. “I’ll come over right now,” he said, pulling a sweatshirt over his head and shoving his shoes on.

“See you in a bit. Text me when you’re here,” Betty said before hanging up.

Betty opened the door to an out-of-breath, red-faced Jughead a mere eight minutes later. 

“I ran here,” he said before leaning down to kiss her shocked face.

He brushed past her, smiling down at her pink PJ shorts and pig slippers. “Cute,” he whispered.

Betty shut the door behind him and slapped at his arm mockingly. “Don’t make fun,” she whispered. “Get to the room!”

They giggled their way down the hall, Betty shushing Jughead as they passed Cheryl’s closed door. Finally, they were alone in Betty’s room with the door shut and locked behind them. They both came to sit on the edge of the bed facing each other, Jughead shoving off his sweatshirt.

“Hey,” Jughead said, trailing his hand lightly up her arm, watching goosebumps spring up in his wake.

Betty watched his hand, biting her lip. “Hey,” she said. “So, what’s going on?”

“Look...I have to tell you a half-truth,” he said, tearing his eyes away from the soft skin on her arms to meet her gaze. “I’m not ready to tell you all of it yet. You said recently that there’s a time and place for these things.”

Betty nodded. “There is. So I respect that. Tell me your half-truth.”

“It wasn’t just my neighborhood that had a bad association with drugs and alcohol growing up,” he said after a beat. “It was...my family. Not me, but my...my parents.”

Betty nodded quickly, gulping. “That’s...really fucking hard, Jughead. I feel...terrible you had to go through that.”

Jughead nodded. “There’s more to it, and I’ll tell you more later. I promise.” 

“Whenever you’re ready, Jughead, of course. You know I get it.”

Jughead nodded, to himself more than to anyone else, closing his eyes and letting tears trickle down his cheek that he didn’t realize were waiting to get out.

Betty gently wiped his tears, leaning forward to trail kisses across his temple, his eyeslids, and each of his cheeks before giving him a gentle kiss on the mouth. He opened his eyes and grabbed both her hands with his own. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Anyway,” he said, wiping at his eyes with his palm messily. “This is a long-winded explanation as to why I gave weed so much hesitation for so long. I know weed isn’t addictive, but it accompanies...a lot of other bad stuff...in my childhood memories.” 

Betty listened intently, keeping a gentle hold on his hands as she sat nestled in his lap. 

“But...I think I’m finally ready to for you to show me.”

Betty looked up at him with a look of pure surprise and joy. “You mean...show you….weed, right?” she asked.

He nodded, a smile breaking out across his face as she pumped her arms and did a silent “yes!”, not wanting to wake Cheryl up. “I’m so excited,” she finally said, her face flushed as she leaned down to kiss him.

“I knew you would be,” he said, smiling back up at her. “That’s why I texted you on the off chance you were awake.”

Betty beamed down at him, unable to believe her luck. She was looking at her boyfriend. BOYFRIEND! She’d never had a real boyfriend or a real relationship, and here this person was staring back at her, confiding in her about painful memories from his past and entrusting her to show him something important to her and something that could become helpful and important to him, too.

She locked eyes with him and found a similarly intense look of desire staring back at her. They met in a fiery kiss, both sliding their hands under the other’s shirt as they came together. “Take it off,” Betty whispered as he pulled away to trail kisses down her neck. 

He pulled the tank top over her head and threw it across the room to Betty’s laughter. She pulled his shirt up herself, throwing it to join Jughead’s, and he pulled back toward her, trailing kisses along her neck and shoulder as she shoved off his beanie and threaded her hands through his hair.

She pulled him up slightly, wanting his mouth on hers again desperately. “Kiss me,” she whispered breathlessly as they came together again, Betty pulling herself into Jughead’s lap as they kissed endlessly.

They ended up in Betty’s bed until 5 am, intermittently making out and talking, with Betty’s head resting on Jughead’s chest as she looked up at him intently. He talked about his insomnia, about the toll it had taken on him, especially during the school year. About the way it fucked with his perception of time, never feeling like he got a true break between days, making everything blur together into an endless cycle of blah.

They lay cuddled up in each other, placing soft kisses on each other’s bare skin and basking in the warmth and comfort of each other. 

When Jughead glanced at the clock and read 5:02, he finally pulled himself away, kissing Betty’s shoulder as he sat up. “I should really get going,” he said. 

Betty pouted, pulling up the strap of her bra that had fallen down. “It’s already 5 AM, why don’t you just sleep here?” She blushed, realizing what she’d said. “Or...try to sleep?”

Jughead laughed. “I really should go home. I think I could use the walk to just...think about everything. I’m loving all of it, but it’s a lot of change to process at once.” He leaned over and kissed Betty to punctuate his point.

Betty smiled as he pulled back and grabbed his shirt off the floor. “Okay,” she conceded. She sat up and pulled her tank top back on as well. “I’m not happy about it though, I’ll say that.”

He laughed and grabbed her face to give her another deep kiss. “It’s been just a week today since we first kissed, and you already can’t get enough of me?”

“That would be correct,” Betty said. She leaned in to whisper, “I’ll never get enough of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH! It was a long, but pivotal night! Next chapter: Jughead's weed journey truly begins! Leave a comment if ya like dit, would love to hear from y'all! xoxo Maria


	10. July 15 - 16, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's here, y'all, the big moment. Jughead finally tries smoking for his insomnia, and the two stoned days Betty and Jughead spend together are pivotal for their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience, y'all, it's here! This is a pivotal turning point in the story for Betty and Jughead and, uh, it got pretty long! Hope y'all enjoy and let me know what you thought :) xoxo Maria

**Sunday, July 15**

Jughead walked the short ten minutes to Betty’s apartment on Sunday evening with his arms swinging at his sides nervously. His palms were sweaty, his mind racing. All day long his mind had been swirling, questioning and wondering as he made coffee and filled pastry orders to satisfy the Sunday hangover crowd.

Aside from a couple ill-fated sips of beer when he was sixteen, Jughead had never taken any mind-altering substances. He’d never been drunk, high, blazed, messed up, sloshed, or any other euphemism that had been coined to describe being under the influence. He’d read about it, had it described to him by friends (both solicited and unsolicited), but never had he felt or experienced giving himself over to a drug. 

That was the part most stubbornly sticking in his mind: the surrender of control. How would it feel to have a substance affecting his thought patterns, his mood, even his ability to sleep? It was something his very being resisted, but then again, his body wasn’t doing too great at the whole sleeping thing on its own. 

He was nervous as shit, but he’d meant what he’d said the night before. He trusted Betty to show him and no one else. 

Finally he reached Betty’s front door. _God, I hope no one’s home besides Betty_ , he thought to himself as he climbed the stairs and shot Betty a text announcing his presence.

The door opened, revealing Betty beaming down at him. “Hey,” she said, trying to contain herself as she reached forward and embraced Jughead. He let his arms fall around her, closing his eyes into her warmth. _How did she know this was exactly what he needed?_

She pulled back. “Come in. We’ve got a big evening in front of us!”

The apartment was quiet. “Is Cheryl here?” he asked, trying to sound casual as they paused in the hallway.

Betty shook her head. “I asked her to clear out, so she went to pregame for Sunday night drinks over at the Pussycats’. I figured we could use some privacy.”

Jughead smiled, relief flooding his mind. That explained why Toni hadn’t been home to pepper him with intrusive questions when he’d briefly returned to change out of his work clothes. 

He reached forward for Betty, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders as he gave her a light, quick kiss. “Thank you,” he said as her eyes fluttered open. He nudged his temple against hers. “This all means a lot to me.”

“It means a lot to me too,” she said, an earnest look reflected in her eyes. “That you would trust me to show this to you.” 

He nodded, realizing that Betty was clearly just as nervous as he was, just as committed to ensuring this night went off without a hitch. 

Betty was the first to pull back from their embrace. “Come see what I have waiting for you,” she said, a nervous smile flitting across her face.

Jughead finally took in the sight of the living room and realized that, in true Betty Cooper fashion, she had vastly overprepared.

Laid out across the coffee table was an assortment of glass pieces: Cheryl’s larger living room bong, Betty’s mini royal blue bong, Betty’s little spoon bowl, a wax pen, and a rolled joint. Three mason jars of weed, each with a different label in Betty’s neat handwriting, shared the space with the glass smoking accessories. He spotted at least three different colored lighters littered across the table and two ashtrays, including the cracked weed leaf tray from her work’s damages that had since found a permanent home on the back porch.

It was the sight of the damaged ashtray that made Jughead grin wide. He finally turned to look at Betty, who was watching him with a look of nervous anticipation. “You really pulled out all the stops, Betts.”

“You need all of the options available to you!” she insisted, walking over to the coffee table and fingering the label on one of the mason jars. “Girl Scout Cookies,” it read, in Betty’s looping cursive. 

“Sit down,” she said and Jughead raised his eyebrows suggestively but obeyed, getting comfortable on the couch. 

“Okay, so this is Sour Diesel, a sativa,” she said, handing him one of the jars. He turned it over in his hands and looked at the green buds inside, not sure what he was really looking at. “Sativas are better for giving you energy, more of a daytime high,” Betty explained as she watched him inspect the weed. 

He looked up and nodded at her, a nervous smile covering his face. “So not the sleeping potion you essentially described some other strains to be?”

Betty nodded and replaced the jar in his hand with one labeled “Grandaddy Purp.”

Jughead laughed as he took the jar and read the label up close. “‘Grand-daddy Purp?’” he asked incredulously, sounding out the ridiculous name and shaking his head. “Is that really, seriously, what it’s called?”

Betty giggled. “Really, seriously! Strain names are fun!” 

Jughead shook his head. “Okay, you’re right. Very serious, I’m sorry. Continue.” 

“That’s an indica,” she said, nodding toward the jar Jughead was now turning around in his hands. “Aka, sleeping potion,” Betty added, laughing. “The first time Kevin and I ever passed out together smoking, we were smoking that strain. So when I saw it at the dispensary, I had to pick it up for you. A good luck charm.”

Jughead smiled at the memory Betty had shared as his fingers grazed the smooth glass of the jar. “Where did you guys pass out?” Jughead asked, handing it back and meeting Betty’s eyes. Betty was relieved to see a hint of playfulness in his gaze as he asked the question. 

Betty smiled too. “On one of the couches in Kevin’s freshman dorm room,” she said, laughing. “Some of his extremely straight roommates held out hope Kevin was at the very least bi and would talk girls with them after finding us passed out together, but no such luck.”

Jughead laughed heartily, not being able to imagine Kevin being attracted to women from just the short time he’d spent with the very out gay man. “Too good,” he said.

“Right?” Betty said, picking up the original jar, the “Girl Scout Cookies.” “Now, this is a hybrid,” Betty said, presenting it to him. “I think this is where we should start.”

“You’re the expert,” Jughead said. Betty walked over to the couch and sat beside Jughead, grabbing the jar out of his hands. She carefully removed the lid, allowing a dank aroma to fill the air around them as the little metal circle was lifted. Betty leaned down closer to the jar and sniffed at the nugs inside. 

Jughead watched her, his eyes widening. Was she honest to God SNIFFING the weed? 

Betty looked amused. “Don’t be shy, give the weed a good sniff.”

Jughead gave her a look that was nothing short of horrified. “Why on god’s green Earth would I sniff that?”

Betty smirked. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘God’s green earth?’” She looked suggestively down at the weed nugs in the jar and tried to pass it to him again.

Jughead laughed. “Fine, fine,” he conceded, accepting the jar. He looked down at the weed nugs. “So, what am I looking at here?”

Betty smiled. “Okay, so you’re about to get real happy and euphoric, which I can tell you from much experience is true. This is one of me and Cheryl’s favorite strains to have in our communal jar for when we’re smoking together or with friends.”

Jughead nodded, his ears perking up a bit at that. “So you guys have smoked this one around me before probably?”

Betty nodded enthusiastically. “Definitely. It’s also really good for stress and depression, which, like, a lot of us deal with in this household.” Betty’s voice was laced with self-deprecating humor.

Jughead looked down again at the weed. He’d never looked this closely at it before, but realized that it wasn’t just a solid green color. There were little bursts of a golden orange-brown and it almost looked like the green buds were lightly frosted. Betty watched him with amusement.

“Sorry,” Jughead said, blushing slightly. “I just never realized weed was...so many colors?”

Betty’s eyes lit up. “Neither did I when I first started smoking, honestly. So, are we just about ready to begin?”

Jughead nodded, gulping slightly. Betty looked all around them, as if trying to locate something, which Jughead doubted was possible considering how prepared she’d been when he walked in the door.

“...fuck! I forgot water. You’ll definitely need it.” Betty was on her feet before she even finished her sentence, returning seconds later with a pitcher of water and two glasses.

Jughead laughed. “The whole pitcher, Betty, really?”

Betty poured them each a glass before gingerly placing the pitcher on the coffee table, somehow finding space between all the other glass accoutrements that covered its surface. She resettled herself on the couch next to him, placing her hands in her lap even as she fidgeted with her fingers. “You’ll thank me later, believe me,” she said, pausing to take a sip of her water. “When you experience cottonmouth for the first time.” 

“Can’t wait,” Jughead said dryly and they both laughed nervously. Jughead tapped his hands on his jean-covered thighs just to have something to do, looking up to find Betty’s eyes darting wildly around the table once again as if looking for something. 

“Betts…” he said warily, but she was already on her feet, rushing down the hall in the direction of her room.

“I forgot my lucky lighter in my room,” she said breathlessly as she returned to his side.

“Betty,” Jughead said, placing his hand gently on her thigh. “Please slow down.” He gestured toward the spread on the table. “Maybe you should take a hit,” he added, laughing.

“Oh, I smoked a bowl before you got here, I was so nervous,” she admitted, but grabbed the pen and took a hit for good measure before finally leaning back into the couch cushions and letting out a long breath.

“Sorry,” she said, turning to look intently into Jughead’s eyes. “I just want this to be as magical and good for you as it was for me.” 

Jughead felt a tingle in his stomach at her words, struck again by how much Betty cared for him. Running around making sure every last thing was right? He’d seen Cheryl do the same for Toni before. The first time Cheryl had ever stepped foot in their apartment, it had been when Toni cancelled their date because she was sick. Cheryl had practically knocked the door down, armed with soup, tea, and edibles, and had then remained by Toni’s side for two whole days, making snide comments about the state of the apartment under her breath in the general direction of Jughead, Fangs, and Sweet Pea. Despite the sting of Cheryl’s impressively accurate jabs, that experience had quickly made Jughead realize how much Cheryl cared for Toni, the care and deep thought behind her actions. 

Looking at the spread before him, Jughead knew that in Betty and Cheryl language, this, too, was a sign of deep affection.

“Hey,” Jughead said, squeezing her thigh. “Can you tell me the full story of your first time smoking? I think it would help me ease into it.” He secretly thought it would also ease _her_ into it. He could see her practically vibrating with anxiety next to him, fidgeting with her hands and alternately tapping her foot as she tried not to stare at Jughead. 

A serene smile covered Betty’s face at his suggestion, and she nodded. “That’s a good idea,” she said, leaning forward to grab her royal blue mini bong and repositioning herself cross-legged on the couch facing Jughead. He adjusted himself so he was facing Betty too, tucking his hands under his chin as she settled the bong into her lap.

“It was a Tuesday night in our first week of classes freshman year,” Betty began. “And Cheryl asked me if I wanted to take a break from studying to go take a walk around the Boston Common, enjoy the nice weather.” She paused to take a brief hit, locking eyes with Jughead and smiling through the white smoke that filled the air between them.

“I liked Cheryl so far, but we hadn’t really gotten to know each other on a deep level yet, so I didn’t feel like I really knew her,” Betty explained. “So I said yes, thinking a walk might give us time to get to know each other better. We were gonna be roommates all year, after all. I figured it would be nice if we got along.”

Jughead smiled and nodded, recognizing Betty’s overthinking tendencies even in the way she told this origin story. It made it easy for him to picture a slightly younger, less experienced Betty, being led around a park he knew so well by a more experienced, fiery young Cheryl. 

“We were still tripping over getting to know each other, you know?” Betty said, remembering the way they’d both carefully asked the other questions, nervous and unsure, in polite tones that sounded foreign now even in her memories. 

“I’ve been there before,” Jughead said.

“But somewhere in our little circle around the Common, I confessed that I was feeling very anxious and out of place. I knew it had only been two weeks, but I still felt like I was somehow behind everyone else, like everyone was suddenly close with their roommate or had made a million friends and I was just standing still.”

Jughead rubbed her shoulder, recognizing himself in Betty’s words so closely. Betty reached up to clasp his hand. “That was when Cheryl told me she’d been smoking weed for a few months now to soothe her depression and that it was really helping. That sometimes she came out to the Common to ‘take a walk’ but she would actually come out to smoke.” 

“Wow. So you didn’t realize she’d been smoking for like, two weeks of living in the same room?”

Betty laughed at her younger self. “Honestly, I was so naive and innocent at that point, I don’t think I would’ve known what it looked like. And you know how smooth Cheryl is.” 

“True. She’s a force to be reckoned with.”

“Exactly. But anyway, so I remember Cheryl was super cautious and polite about it, but she told me she had weed with her now, and asked if I wanted to smoke with her.” Betty gulped. “And I was so scared. Like, I’d never even thought about smoking weed much before, you know? I just figured, doing ‘drugs’ wasn’t me. I’d never done anything like that in high school. But I liked Cheryl, trusted her. And so I asked, ‘what does it feel like?’”

Jughead’s expression softened as he imagined this exchange, two wide-eyed 18-year-olds looking for a connection on the dark paths of that iconic park in downtown Boston. It was one of those places where Jughead always felt completely anonymous, free to be wholly himself with nobody but faceless strangers to play witness.

“She told me it felt happy and hopeful and that it stripped away some of the worries. Made things a little less serious and warm around the edges. It sounded great to me, honestly. I had been so on edge for two whole weeks, truly just feeling so out of place. Like there was nowhere I belonged. Because that’s the thing with coming to college to get away from home. There’s nothing to be homesick for.”

Jughead looked in her eyes and saw them pooling slightly with tears. He reached up to stroke her cheek. Betty locked eyes with him for a second before leaning up and giving him a soft kiss.

They both opened their eyes again, and Betty wiped a couple stray tears from her cheeks. “You get that feeling, right?” she whispered.

Jughead nodded wordlessly, his expression saying it all, reflecting his unspoken pain as they locked eyes in mutual, silent understanding. After a silence, Jughead cleared his throat and said, “So, you decided to smoke?”

A smile lit up Betty’s face as she nodded. “So I decided to smoke,” she said, her tone turning more cheerful. “I looked into Cheryl’s eyes and she had never looked so vulnerable in the short time I’d known her. That night was when Cheryl and I truly opened up to each other for the first time and realized how similar we really were. How we were on the same wavelength. I just felt so...safe. Like, Cheryl just wanted to share this with me, just wanted to help.”

“Where exactly did you smoke?” Jughead asked curiously. After all, the Boston Common (and neighboring Public Garden) was a huge place.

“We crossed over to the Garden and sat below a tree along the duck pond,” Betty said. “One of those ones that must’ve been there forever, with the roots spreading so far they served as our seats,” she explained, lost in the memory. She could see herself there, sitting next to Cheryl, watching the redhead carefully pinch weed into her bowl as the two of them balanced precariously on the knobby wood.

Jughead nodded. “Oh, I know those trees,” he said, grinning.

“She took the weed out of a pill bottle and showed it to me. I think she could tell I would be more comfortable if I saw what I was smoking, you know?” Jughead nodded. “I remember my eyes widening at all the colors, like yours did just now.” They both laughed.

“We smoked...I think it was Blue Dream. There always seemed to be Blue Dream around freshman year for some reason.” 

Jughead laughed. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“We put it in Cheryl’s cherry red spoon bowl.”

Jughead burst out laughing again. “Of course.”

“I’m sorry, let me correct myself...Cheryl’s ICONIC cherry red spoon bowl. It’s retired now, a relic of a younger Cheryl,” Betty said, laughing along with Jughead and leaning into him on the couch. 

“And she showed me how to smoke. I think it took me a few hits to get it right, but then I felt it. It was...silly and fun and light and just...I felt so free! Free to be me, free to express myself.” A look of distant euphoria covered Betty’s face as she spoke. She looked so beautiful, so purely herself telling this story.

“Cheryl and I could not stop laughing at first, just making jokes. There’s something about getting high with someone that just creates this weird little bubble in which everything you’re saying makes total sense, but just to the two of you. I know that doesn’t make sense now but it will eventually.” She looked up at Jughead as he gazed at her, listening intently to her story.

“And then we sat on that bench for maybe an hour, just having some real talk and getting to know each other on a much deeper level than the small talk we’d been doing the last two weeks,” Betty explained. “Before we got super hungry and went to shove some burritos in our faces.” 

“Oh, yeah, isn’t getting super hungry part of getting stoned?” Jughead asked, his eyes lighting up.

“Yep,” Betty said, grinning at the expression on Jughead’s face. “I figured that would be your favorite part of getting high.”

“You know me too well, Betts.”

“So, yeah, that’s the story! Honestly, it was the perfect first smoking experience. When curating this experience for you,” Betty paused as Jughead burst out laughing at her word choice. “Don’t make fun. Anyway, I considered an outdoor setting. But I figured a more contained and controlled environment might be better for the first time. We can try going outside another time.”

Jughead nodded. “Yeah, I like this us-being-alone-with-no-one-else-around thing we’ve got going here,” he said, smirking as he gripped her thigh. 

Betty gave him a flirtatious look. “Same,” she said, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. 

“Thanks for telling me that story,” Jughead said, turning more serious as he took her hand and looked in her eyes. “And for setting all this up. I know I said it before, but it really means so much to me that you would go to such great lengths to make sure this was a good experience for me.”

“Jug, I always want every experience to be good for you. For all my friends, really. I just want everyone to be...happy. Or as happy as we can be.”

“I know you do, Betts. And that’s why I like you so damn much.”

Betty blushed, leaning over to kiss him soundly on the mouth. “Now, Jug, I think it’s the moment of truth.”

“Oh god.”

“The moment we’ve all been waiting for. Are you ready to smoke?”

Jughead was practically waiting for a gong to sound or a prepared drum roll to play from Betty’s phone, the build-up felt so intense at this point. “I think I’m ready,” he finally said. 

“Okay, so as I said, we should start with a hybrid. The night is still young, you’re not tryna pass out right away.”

Jughead nodded, agreeing and running his hand up and down her arms. “I want to spend some time with my girl first,” he said.

 _My girl._ Betty flushed at the phrase. It was the first time she’d ever heard him use it, and she liked the way it sounded falling out of his mouth.

“Good,” she said. She grabbed the jar of Girl Scout Cookies and unscrewed her silver grinder. Jughead watched her tear little pieces off a nug and place them methodically into the metal teeth. She closed it and began spinning the cap absently, looking up at him as she grinded. “Now for the big question, what do you want to smoke this here weed out of?”

Jughead frowned, looking around at the spread on the coffee table. For some reason, he hadn’t thought about it before. Over the time he’d been hanging out with Betty, he’d seen her smoke out of bongs, bowls, joints, and pens. Each accoutrement felt just as natural as any of the others. He looked back toward Betty. “I honestly don’t know. Which one do you think would be best for a first time experience? You’re supposed to be guiding me, after all.”

Betty nodded, her face screwing up in concentration as she weighed the options. “I think a good old-fashioned joint could be the way to go. Don’t wanna kill you too fast with the bong, even if it might be smoother.”

Jughead laughed. “I only half understand what you’re saying to me, but I trust your judgment.”

“Perfecto!” Betty said, laughing, as she put down the grinder. “Well, then, I guess we don’t need this grinder full of weed after all. We can smoke it later.” 

Jughead nodded as Betty leaned across the table to grab the joint. “I rolled this one up like an hour ago, it’s Girl Scout Cookies too.”

Jughead watched in nervous anticipation as she carefully lit the end of the joint, letting the white paper steadily catch fire. Betty puffed on the joint until it was burning at a slow but consistent pace. “Here,” she said, offering it to him. “So, you want to put the joint between your lips and sort of suck on it...like it’s a straw,” Betty explained. “Then you inhale again once the smoke is in your mouth.”

Jughead nodded, trying to memorize everything she was saying as he gripped the surprisingly thick paper tube between his fingers. He leaned forward. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought as he put the tip of the joint between his lips and sucked in. He felt smoke fill his mouth and, panicking, breathed it back out. He watched the cloud of smoke exit his lips in amazement. It was weird to see smoke coming out of his mouth. It made him feel like the fucking dragon from Shrek or something.

Betty giggled at his side, bringing him back to reality. “No worries, Jug. No one ever gets it right on the first try. And I mean, ever. Not me, not anyone I’ve ever witnessed smoke for the first time.”

Jughead breathed in deep, coughing as he offered her the joint.

“Watch me smoke,” Betty said, bringing the joint to her lips.

Jughead studied her movements carefully as she puffed on the joint. He watched her breathe in a second time incredulously. “So, let me get this straight,” Jughead said as Betty breathed out white smoke without a single cough. “I’m supposed to let smoke further into my lungs?”

Betty giggled. “Yes! That’s how you get the THC inside of you, and that’s the part of the weed that gets ya stoned.”

Jughead nodded slowly, words he’d read during his late-night research session beginning to flood back. Betty quirked her eyebrows in amusement as she offered the joint to him. “Wanna try again?”

He grabbed it, gulping as he looked down at his new foe. Betty silently watched him as he sucked on the paper and let the smoke fill his mouth. He breathed in a tiny bit, the smoke tickling at the back of his throat. Panicking again (this time at the new sensation), he breathed back out quickly with a cough to emphasize the point. 

“Closer!” Betty said, patting his back as he coughed heartily and handed her the joint back.

“Jesus, Betty, you must have lungs of steel,” he said.

“Hey, I earned these lungs,” Betty joked as she took another couple hits. 

“Okay,” she said. “You’re gonna get it this time, I promise. Third time’s the charm, right?” 

When Jughead accepted the joint but gave her a disbelieving look, Betty added, “Okay, I’ll coach you through this one.”

“Now, that sounds more like it,” Jughead said with a boyish smirk as he brought the joint to his lips for a third try.

“Inhale like you do all day, Jug,” she said, her voice softer than it’d been since they started. “But now, you just have this joint there too. Breathe in the smoke.” She waited for him to follow her instructions, and he did. He was mesmerized by the care he heard in her voice, and he let the smoke fill his mouth. 

“Now breathe in again, normally, like you always do,” Betty said, softly, and he did. 

“And breathe out.”

And he did. He coughed, a deep cough that he felt in his stomach, and Betty clapped her hands together. “Now THAT was a hit,” she said, holding her hand out for a triumphant high-five.

Jughead smiled, his coughing subsiding, and high-fived her with a smack that resounded through the room. “I did it!” he said, letting out another unexpected cough as Betty took the opportunity to hit the joint a couple more times.

She passed it back to him, the same way he’d seen her pass joints to Cheryl and Moose and Josie, and he took it without incident. 

_In, in again, out._

Jughead passed the joint back to Betty, trying to remain as casual as she’d been, and Betty accepted it with an impressed look on her face. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments as Betty puffed away at the joint, now about half gone. 

“Do you feel anything?” Betty finally asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Okay.” She handed him the joint. “Try holding it in longer this time,” she said softly.

He nodded, gulping at the new challenge. “Count for me?”

She nodded back. “Of course.”

 _In. In again._ “One Mississippi, two Mississippi…” Betty laughed at Jughead’s widening eyes. “Breathe out,” she said, releasing him, and he let out his largest cloud of white smoke yet, followed by a cascade of coughs. 

“How about now?” Betty asked as his coughing fit subsided. 

Jughead looked up at her and Betty immediately grinned. His eyes were glazed over and tinted with red, his expression goofier than it had been a moment before.

“What was that thing you guys said the other night?” Jughead asked. She felt a tingle in her core at the flirtatious, goofy tone he was using.

She thought for a minute, her face screwed up in confusion about what “thing” Jughead was vaguely referring to...before it dawned on her. “Oh,” she said, her face lighting up. “You mean, ‘you gotta cough to get off?’”

“Yes,” Jughead said, his expression softening. “I think I get it.”

Betty burst out laughing, depositing the joint in the nearest ash tray and reaching over to cup Jughead’s chin in her hands and stare into his eyes. His grin widened as he studied her face and it was contagious, she couldn’t help smiling back. “How do you feel?” Betty asked.

“I think we did it,” he whispered, leaning in so their noses were touching and she could feel his breath on her neck. “I’m stoned.”

Betty pumped her fist in the air. “We did it!” 

Jughead leaned in and smashed his mouth against Betty’s in a sloppy but passionate kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she slid into his lap and eagerly reciprocated. She tugged his beanie off and brushed her hands eagerly through his hair. 

Betty pulled back so she was straddling his lap with her arms around his shoulders and kissed Jughead’s cheek as he looked up at her in stoned amazement. Amused, Betty whispered, “How do you feel, Jug?”

He looked contemplative for a minute, forming the right words to describe this new sensation running through him. “I feel kind of hazy in my head,” he said. “But in a really relaxing way. And like, just happy,” he added, trailing off.

Betty giggled. “You’re definitely stoned, Juggie,” she said, reaching over to the ashtray to grab the joint and her lighter. She relit the joint, still perched in Jughead’s lap as he settled his hands on her hips. She took a long hit and then breathed the smoke away from Jughead. 

“Want another hit?” she asked seductively and he nodded eagerly, smiling as she turned the joint around and guided it into his mouth for him.

“Puff, puff, in, hold it, and…” she said, pulling the joint out of his mouth. He sputtered, coughing out a huge cloud of smoke directly into Betty’s open mouth and she laughed, waving her hand in front of her face and coughing along with him.

“Sorry,” Jughead croaked out, covering his mouth with his hands.

“You’re good, babe,” Betty said, kissing his cheek before taking another hit off the joint.

She passed it back down to Jug after giving him a couple beats to recover, and he took a short hit by himself. 

“You’re really getting the hang of it,” Betty said, finishing off the little roach and getting up to ash it before resettling herself in Jughead’s lap.

“What do you wanna do now?” Betty asked, stoned and giddy at the fact that Jughead’s face reflected back the same mood.

Jughead burst out laughing and Betty gave him a quizzical look as he let his fingers lightly brush up her arms and across her shoulders. “What’s going on, Jug?”

“I’m just...laughing at the fact that I’m high, here, with you. My girlfriend. If you’d told me this would be me months ago, I would’ve laughed in your face,” he said. 

“And yet…”

“And yet, here I am, with you, and it’s better than anything I could’ve ever dreamed up or written about,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she closed her eyes. _Stoned Jughead was even more sentimental and sweet? She could get used to this._

When Betty’s eyes fluttered open again, Jughead’s lips had moved, pressing soft kisses to her cheeks and making quick work of her neck.

Betty pushed Jughead down so they were laying horizontal on the couch with Betty straddling him. 

He laughed, grabbing at her as she leaned forward and took his mouth in a bruising kiss. Jughead moaned into her mouth, letting his hands sneak down her back and across her ass. She gasped into his mouth as he squeezed.

Jughead could tell that this was the messiest they’d ever been, but it also felt the most honest and unabashed. The weed was stripping away some of the overthinking and allowing him to just do, to act on his impulses and desires and get lost in Betty.

Betty pulled away from his lips, straddling him as she sucked on the side of his neck, nipping and watching a little red blotch spring up there. Jughead groaned, leaning back as Betty trailed her tongue down his neck and across his collarbone. She smiled, her cheeks flushed, and turned her attention back toward Jughead’s mouth, giving him a solid kiss. 

Then she relaxed, repositioning herself so she was carefully draped across the length of his body, laying on his chest looking down at his glazed-over eyes. “How are you doing?” she whispered, feeling so warm and content in this position.

Jughead thought for a second and then looked up at Betty’s face swimming above him. “I’m actually pretty hungry.”

As if on cue, Betty heard Jughead’s stomach rumble below her. 

Betty laughed. “Oh, boy, I’m sure you are. I know exactly where we should go.”

\---

Getting Jughead out the door in his newly-discovered high state was surprisingly easy. Getting him to pick a song to play from the aux cord in Cheryl’s car, however? Surprisingly difficult.

Betty was thankful Cheryl had left them her car keys, figuring Jughead might not take kindly to riding the T after smoking for the first time. She’d had enough embarrassing, stoned-out-of-her-mind, is-that-fellow-MBTA-customer-staring-at-me moments to last a lifetime. The least she could do was spare her boyfriend from the same fate during his first-ever high.

Betty sat in the driver seat, drumming her fingers impatiently against the wheel as her own stomach grumbled. Jughead’s seatbelt was still unfastened as he hyper-focused on his phone, scrolling through his playlists for the perfect song to play.

“Earth to Jughead,” Betty singsonged, unable to take it anymore.

Jughead snapped up, shaken out of his trance by Betty’s voice. “Yes?” he said, sounding as if he’d been caught in the act.

“Just pick the first song that comes to your mind,” she said, soft but firm. “And put on your seatbelt. I want your pretty face to survive dinner.”

Jughead laughed and obeyed, clicking his seatbelt into place and tapping on the song closest to his finger. “Cherry Hill” by Russ filled the car. 

“I approve the song choice,” Betty said, smiling as she finally put the car into drive. “How does diner food sound to you?”

Jughead leaned back into the seat, closing his eyes and letting the music wash over him.

_You know what I'd do for you  
I know what you'd do for me..._

“Sounds perfect, baby,” he said, a serene smile covering his face when Betty reached over to briefly squeeze his hand.

_Maybe I’m a fool, maybe I’m a fool for you.  
Maybe I’m a fool, maybe I’m a fool for you._

Jughead opened his eyes to watch the businesses and trees and pedestrians go by with a look of pure wonder on his face. Betty let him be, assuming there was a cascade of overwhelming and new and exciting thoughts running through his head. A part of her envied him, almost wished she could experience smoking weed for the first time again.

The song transitioned into “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean and Betty bobbed her head along as she drove, quietly singing the words. Jughead tore himself away from the window to gaze at her. 

_The same way you showed me_  
_You showed me love_  
_Glory from above..._

“You’re beautiful, Betts,” Jughead murmured. 

Betty’s cheeks bloomed as she winked at him, eyes still on the road. “You’re not too bad-looking yourself,” she finally replied before they fell again into contented silence.

They arrived in the parking lot of a diner in Brighton five minutes later and were being ushered into their seats by an amused waitress a mere minute after that. The waitress gave Jughead a double take that told Betty she knew exactly what was going on. Betty wouldn’t tell Jughead this, of course. She didn’t want to psych him out. After all, in her experience, diner waitresses used their unparalleled powers of observation for good.

Betty opened the big plastic menu, complete with glossy photos of the food. “What are you thinkin, Jug?” she asked, glancing up to find him rapidly flipping through his own menu opposite her.

Betty giggled. “Jug, what are you doing?” 

“Trying to decide if we should get breakfast or dinner,” he said, the look of concern on his face causing Betty to burst out laughing.

“Porque no los dos?” Betty asked, a devious glint in her eyes.

Jughead’s eyes narrowed. He was impressed. “You, Betty Cooper, are a true queen.”

Betty flipped her hair. “Seriously though, the pancakes here are huge. Wanna share a short stack and then also get dinner food?”

“Okay, I like the way you’re thinking. I gotta get a burger and of course fries.”

“Order of onion rings to share too? They’re amazing here. Oh, and we have to get milkshakes, of course.”

Jughead admired Betty’s utter concentration as she scanned the milkshake flavors and talked about each one absently to him. He could get used to this.

“You two want coffee?” The waitress was back with a full coffee pot, two mugs, and a knowing look in her eyes. 

“Yes please!” Jughead and Betty chirped in unison. Jughead burst out laughing and Betty shook her head, sharing a smirk with the waitress as she poured them cups of coffee.

“Thank you,” Betty said sweetly.

“Can I put anything in for you two or do you need another minute with the menu?”

“I think we’re ready,” Betty said confidently, pulling her menu closer to her. “Two burgers with sides of fries, an order of onion rings, and a short stack to share. Oh, and milkshakes. I’ll have vanilla. Jughead?”

“Chocolate,” he said, smiling at Betty instead of looking at the waitress.  
The waitress laughed and shook her head, grabbing their menus. “Coming right up. My name is Darla, give a shout if you need anything else.”

Betty nudged Jughead with her foot as Darla walked away. “Drink your coffee,” she said, laughing.

“Am I being obvious?” Jughead asked, sounding more curious than concerned.

“A little,” Betty said, smiling into her coffee cup. “But food and coffee always sobers you up a little bit. And food tastes even better when you’re stoned.”

“Not possible,” Jughead said, scoffing in disbelief as he brought his coffee cup to his lips and took a hearty sip.

“You’ll see.”

Fifteen minutes later, Jughead discovered the wonders of the munchies as he bit into what he swore was the juiciest hamburger he’d ever tasted. 

Betty shoveled her fries into her mouth, doused in gross amounts of ketchup and salt, and grinned at him from across the table. “How’s it going over there?”

“Okay, I surrender. You were right. This is amazing.”

Betty smirked. “I love being told I’m right.”

Jughead raised his eyebrows suggestively and lifted his chocolate milkshake for a toast. “To my Weed Queen and an amazing first weed experience,” he said, locking eyes with Betty.

“Cheers,” Betty replied, holding his gaze as they clinked glasses.

They greedily devoured their food, with Darla looking on in amusement from the server station.

\---

The apartment was still empty when they returned from dinner, all their friends drinking and throwing darts blocks away at Sunday night drinks. Jughead flopped down on the couch with a yawn.

“Oh my God,” Betty said as she returned Cheryl’s car keys to their hook. “Did I just hear a yawn come out of Jughead Jones at…” she checked her phone. “...9:30 PM?”

Jughead laughed. “It’s a day of firsts,” he said. 

Betty joined him on the couch, patting his thigh. “Ready to try the bong?” she asked.

“So soon?” Jughead asked, nervous.

“I promise, it’s actually smoother than a joint,” Betty said. She put one of her favorite smoking playlists on and grabbed the grinder of weed she’d prepared earlier.

“Do I have to sniff it again?” Jughead asked.

Betty shrugged. “Only if you want to.”

Jughead accepted the open grinder and gazed down at the ground-up little pieces of green with hints of purple and golden orange. “It looks pretty cool, I have to admit,” he said.

“Right?” Betty took the weed back and pinched it into the bowl of her royal blue bong. “Now, watch me closely.”

She grabbed her pink lighter and lit the side of the bowl. Jughead watched the green buds slowly burn as the white smoke traveled up the neck of the bong into Betty’s mouth. She lifted the bowl out of the piece, sucking up the rest of the smoke to clear the bong. He watched her hold it in her mouth, his jaw visibly dropping as the seconds passed. Finally, she released a small cloud of smoke.

“Show-off,” Jughead said, playfully nudging her thigh as she gave out a small cough. 

“What can I say? I’m the Weed Queen,” Betty said, laughing. “Okay. So, take the bong.”

Jughead gripped the glass piece in his hands, looking apprehensively at the water bobbing on the bottom. Why did the addition of a water feature make him so nervous? Maybe because it looked like a fucking fountain. Would the water get in his mouth if he fucked up? 

“Jughead,” Betty snapped him out of his worried thoughts. “So, you want to cup your mouth around the top, okay?”

He nodded, suction-cupping the smooth glass of the bong with his mouth as Betty nodded her approval. “When I light the bowl, you inhale like you did with the joint and it’ll make the water bubble. I’ll lift the bowl for you and then you want to inhale again, sucking all the smoke in your mouth. Breathe in one more time, like we did with the joint. And blow out. Does that make sense?”

“Honestly, Betty, this is starting to sound like nonsense again,” Jughead said, running his hands through his hair.

Betty winced. “Okay, you might just have to go for it! You got this! I’ll light the bowl for you and guide you.”

Jughead nodded nervously. “Alright, let’s do it.”

Betty lit the bowl and nodded to Jughead to inhale. He sucked in and his eyes widened as the water below began to bubble. Smoke started its journey into his mouth a couple seconds later and Betty quickly lifted the bowl for him. “Suck in again!” she commanded and he followed, sucking up all the white smoke until the glass tube was clear again. 

“Okay now do a quick second inhale,” Betty said, watching him closely. 

He took a very short second breath before finally letting the smoke exit his lungs, followed by a series of deep coughs. Betty patted his back. “You cleared the bong on the first try, Jug,” she said as he let out a last couple coughs. She handed him his glass of water and he drank heartily. “You’re seriously a natural-born stoner, Jug.”

Jughead looked up at her and Betty laughed aloud when she saw how much more visibly stoned he had become since before his bong hit, his eyes low. 

Betty placed the piece back on the table. “Okay, one hit wonder, that’s enough of the bong for a minute,” she said, laughing.

Jughead watched her, suddenly feeling very turned on by the way Betty was taking care of him. When she turned to look at him, she saw the seductive, possessive glint in his eyes and froze in place, tingling with anticipation. 

“Hey,” he practically growled, low in his throat.

“Hey,” she whispered flirtatiously, settling herself gradually into Jughead’s lap with her arms looped around his shoulders. She leaned in to give him a slow kiss. He melted into it, letting his arms travel up her shirt as he rubbed her back. She groaned, deepening the kiss.

Betty got lost in his touch. She could tell he was enjoying the effects of the weed. They’d had some pretty hot make-out sessions before, but she felt an uninhibitedness in him that hadn’t been there before. A little part of him seemed to have let his guard down. Maybe it was the weed. Maybe it was the closeness that they’d developed tonight. Maybe it was a little of both. Betty closed her eyes and moaned as Jughead tugged on her ponytail and loosened it, letting the blonde waves cascade around her shoulders. 

Jughead pulled back, gazing at her beautifully flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. He took the image in for a minute before patting her leg. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I really have to pee,” he said, placing a kiss on Betty’s cheek before getting up. Betty laughed, still in a bit of a daze. Stoned Jughead was having quite an effect on her.

She watched him walk away before taking the opportunity to pack another bowl, smirking as she grinded up the Granddaddy Purp. This was the real moment of truth, finding out if the combination of multiple bowls and a strong indica would help Jughead get to sleep. 

“I put an indica in the bowl,” Betty said to Jughead as he came back into the room, holding the bong out toward him. 

“The Granddaddy Purp, you mean? Call it by its proper name, Betts, come on,” he said in a mockingly stern tone, though he accepted the bong.

“So, what shall we talk about over this bowl, Jughead?” Betty asked. 

“Is that what people do? Talk over a bowl?” 

“Of course! You pass it back and forth, talk about some deep shit. That’s the culture,” Betty said, giggling.

Betty lit the bowl for him again and Jughead took another hit without incident, Betty making sure not to give him a bigger hit than he could handle.

“Okay,” Jughead said, coughing slightly and taking a sip of water. “But I feel like deep shit is gonna kill our vibe. Have you noticed we’re both very depressing people with troubled pasts?”

“That’s our kink, baby,” Betty joked, nudging his hip with her own. “No, but seriously.” She paused with the bong and lighter in her hand, thinking hard. “Let’s try not to be such downers for once in our lives. We HAVE to have some happy memories from our childhood, right?” She paused again. “Like with our sisters, maybe?” 

Betty lit the bowl and took a generous-sized hit before passing it back and assisting Jughead with another hit. After his bong rip, he screwed up his face in concentration.

“Okay, I thought of one,” Jughead said. “We used to read Harry Potter books on summer afternoons next to Jamaica Pond. I’d bring one of our bedsheets out and we’d stay there for hours. Just me reading to Jellybean about a world that was somehow a lot less confusing than the one at home, even with magic added in.”

Betty’s breath caught in her throat at his words and she placed the bong gently on the coffee table as she leaned forward. She gave him a gentle kiss on the corner of the mouth. “I’m so in awe of you,” she whispered and he caressed her cheek, looking into her bright, stoned eyes. 

“I’m in awe of how easy it is to share things with you,” Jughead responded, his tone soft.

They both took another hit as Betty searched through her past for a happy memory worthy of sharing with Jughead. She exhaled a plume of smoke and turned to lock eyes with Jughead.

“Okay, so when I think of being truly happy as a kid, I think of the city pool. Sitting on a bench near the snack stand with Polly, licking up ice cream we bought with our allowances. Just the two of us, swimming and eating ice cream and laughing. Not a care in the world, nobody to be perfect for.”

Jughead’s face softened at her story, the image of a young Polly and Betty swinging their legs, ice cream dripping down their fingers in the New Jersey humidity. “That’s adorable,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

Jughead pulled away and leaned back on the couch, suddenly feeling drowsy. 

“So, your parents weren’t really around during the day…” Jughead began to ask, his voice trailing off at the end.

“Well, most days we would go to the local newspaper office they worked at, but some days…” Betty looked over at Jughead and realized his eyes had shut, his breath steadying. Betty tried to contain her excitement and took a deep breath, letting herself concentrate on the song playing. It was one of her absolute favorites: “The Kids Were Wrong” by Memoryhouse.

Betty sang along softly, as if it were a lullaby, a good luck charm for Jughead to sleep through the night.

_Go to sleep, nothing's changing_  
_I'll be right here by your side_  
_Tear the seams, we're not aging_  
_Beneath these trembling star-lit skies_

Betty leaned forward to take one more bong rip, trying to be as quiet as possible. In an unconscious daze, Jughead adjusted himself so he was spread out across most of the couch and Betty smiled before smoothing a pink chenille blanket over his body and giving him a tender kiss on the forehead.

She sat on the end of the couch, enjoying the warmth radiating off of Jughead as she read the latest YA novel she was devouring. Her smoking playlist continued softly in the background and Betty looked up every once in awhile to check that Jughead was still asleep, that his chest was still rising and falling, that the expression on his face was still peaceful.

That was how Cheryl and Toni found them when they crept back into the apartment at 12:15 AM. Their eyes widened when they took in the sight of a sleeping Jughead with Betty. They both silently clapped and cheered. 

“I know!” Betty mouthed back. She put down her book and motioned toward her room, grabbing her bong and a grinder. 

The three of them tiptoed down the hall to Betty’s room, only speaking once the door had been carefully shut behind them.

“Oh. My. GOD, Betty!” Cheryl shrieked at the same time Toni stated the obvious, “He’s sleeping!” 

“I know!” Betty said, clapping her hand across her mouth. “I’m so happy. We had such a good evening.” She paused at their expectant faces as they settled side by side on Betty’s bed. “Shall we pack a bowl, ladies?” Betty asked, sitting at her vanity and packing a bowl in her bong.

“Tell all, B,” Cheryl said, bashing her eyelashes dramatically in Betty’s direction.

Betty snorted as she breathed out her first hit before getting up to pass the bong to the couple. “We smoked a joint first. Girl Scout Cookies.”

“Honestly, my favorite strain,” Cheryl gushed, placing her hand across her heart.

“Right? He enjoyed it, we both got really giggly and we made out a bunch.”

Cheryl and Toni did a quiet version of their usual whooping. 

“Yes, yes, thank you,” Betty said, laughing and mock curtsying before accepting the bong from Cheryl. “We went to the diner in Brighton and demolished some food.”

“Classic,” Toni said, snapping her fingers as if at a poetry reading.

“And then we came back here and I taught him how to smoke a bong,” Betty continued. 

“What a productive night,” Cheryl cut in, sounding impressed.

“And we ended up making out some more and smoking more and talking and before you knew it, he had drifted off to sleep!” Betty finished, taking a big rip off the bong.

“Amazing,” Cheryl said as they both quiet-clapped.

“I can’t believe something finally worked,” Toni said, shooting Betty a meaningful glance. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to finally see him sleeping so peacefully.”

Betty leaned forward and gave Toni a hug. “I’m just glad he trusted me to do it.”

“He’s lucky to have found you, Betty,” Toni said, feeling very emotional as she held eye contact with Betty.

“Aww,” Cheryl said, wrapping her arms around both of them. 

“So, did I miss anything at drinks?” Betty asked as they all pulled back.

Cheryl shook her head. “Not anything nearly as interesting as your night,” she said, sighing. She yawned. “We came back early because I am simply wiped, though. So if you excuse us, I must be off to bed.”

“I feel you,” Betty said, yawning herself. 

Betty followed Cheryl and Toni down the hall as they made their way to Cheryl’s room. In the living room, Betty tucked the blankets around Jughead one last time, making sure he was snuggled up and properly taken care of with a full glass of water in case he woke up in the middle of the night disoriented. She finally turned out the lights, leaving just a nightlight on in the corner of the room, kissing his forehead one last time and creeping down the hall to the bathroom.

Betty smoked a final goodnight bowl before climbing into bed, thinking about what an emotional and fun day it had been. She was relieved that Jughead hadn’t only enjoyed smoking weed, but that it had succeeded at getting him to sleep. 

_I’m so excited to show him everything he’s been missing_. 

That was her last thought before the effects of the indica overtook her and her eyes floated closed, lulling her to sleep.

 

**Monday, July 16**

Pink. That’s what Jughead saw when he opened his eyes. Pink. He practically _felt_ pink. The blanket he had somehow become wrapped in was so pink he swore he could feel it permeating his soul. He rubbed his eyes and looked up, taking in his surroundings.

Oh. He was on the couch in Betty’s living room. Light streamed through the windows, so it was morning. Jughead groaned, covering his eyes. Natural light was overrated. He sank down into the blanket before it finally occurred to him. 

“Fuck! It worked!”

It really had worked. He’d slept. And through the night, it seemed. Betty had done it. He tried to get up from the couch so quickly he tangled himself in the blanket, falling to the living room floor with a slight thud. 

After quickly relieving himself in the bathroom, Jughead slowly opened the door to Betty’s room, closing it quietly behind him before taking in the sight of Betty curled up on the bed. He slipped under the blanket next to her, tucking himself into her side before pressing a kiss to her cheek. Betty stirred, grabbing behind her and smiling when her hands met Jughead’s warm chest. She turned around and gave him a gentle kiss. 

“You slept,” she whispered when she pulled back, her face still mere inches from his as she beamed. “I’m so happy for you.”

He closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in another deep kiss as she groaned. Pulling back, he murmured, “Thank you, Betty.” 

She smirked, kissing him again. “No more talking,” she whispered, pulling the blanket over them so they were in their own little dark cave. “Only kissing.”

\---

After thoroughly making out under the sheets, they emerged, and, noticing it was only 7 AM, Betty packed them a bowl. Just a couple indica hits each did it. They fell back into the bed, snuggling up close into each other and surrendering again to sleep.

\---

No one had explained it would feel like this. He’s certain they hadn’t. Because if they had, he surely would have done it sooner. As Jughead lay sprawled out in Betty’s floral sheets, he realized he didn’t even know which “it” he was referring to. 

Maybe weed. Maybe the concept of love and relationships. Maybe both. 

Jughead felt Betty stirring beneath him. “Hey, sleepy lady,” he murmured.

“What time is it?” Betty asked groggily.

Jughead glanced at Betty’s alarm clock. “10 AM.”

“A respectable hour,” Betty said, nuzzling in closer to Jughead. 

He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You have today off too, right?”

Betty looked up at him excitedly. “Yes! Oh, my god, you can experience your first wake-and-bake.”

Jughead laughed. “You stoners seriously have the most wild phrases. I can’t be the first one to observe this.”

Betty just smiled, closing her eyes and basking in the light that was beginning to peek through her blinds. Jughead thought she looked angelic, the sunshine sweeping across her face.

“So, how does one wake-and-bake exactly?” Jughead asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had filled the room.

Betty burst out laughing, sitting up and grabbing his face, kissing him as he protested jokingly, “I’m asking a serious question, Betts…”

“Okay, now can you answer my totally legit, 100% serious query?” Jughead asked when Betty finally released his face, pulling away to grab her grinder from her bedside table. 

“To wake and bake is simply to smoke at the beginning of a day, Jug,” Betty explained, twisting the silver cap of her grinder back and forth. “Right after you wake up.” 

“Wow,” Jughead said. “I really should’ve gotten that a lot sooner.”

“You’re failing me as a writer, Jug. Nay, as a wordsmith,” Betty said.

“What can I say, Betty? I’ve disappointed myself as well.”

Betty lit the bowl of her bong and breathed a cleansing hit out. He watched her lean back into the bed and relish in it. 

“You love the actual smoking, don’t you?” he asked, captivated by her.

Betty turned and gave him a mischievous look. “You watching me?”

“Always.”

Betty laughed and took a second hit. She paused with the bong in hand and considered his question, not for the first time. “I do like the smoking,” she said. “It...relaxes me. It gives me something to do with my hands. Something to quiet everything down. Something to focus on.”

She looked up at him. “Did you like it?”

“The actual smoking?” 

“Yes. Well, and...or...the weed. All of it, I guess.” Betty suddenly felt shy.

“I really liked it,” Jughead said, genuine surprise in his voice. “It made me feel...free. Like you said from your first time. Honestly. Free to be me without worrying about it so much. And of course, I slept. So that was pretty great.” 

Betty beamed, puting the bong safely down on the bedside table to reach forward and embrace him. Jughead settled into the hug, kissing the top of her head and breathing in her smell. She pulled back. “Now for your first wake-and-bake hit?”

“Yes, lay it on me,” Jughead said, letting Betty light the bowl for him and taking a hit. 

After finishing the bowl, they lay on their backs on Betty’s bed, holding hands and looking up at the ceiling. Betty had decorated with those plastic glow-and-the-dark stars and Jughead stared at them, finding the little stars pretty even while unilluminated in the morning light.

“Mmm, interesting,” he said. 

“What’s interesting?” Betty shot him an amused look. 

“Being like, newly awake and newly stoned at the same time,” he said, sounding out the words slowly.

Betty giggled. “Exactly,” she said. “You understand the wake-and-bake just fine, my friend.”

“Betty?”

“Yes, Jughead?”

“Can one typically wake and bake and...eat food?”

\---

Betty and Jughead decided to go to Brighton Cafe, which they discovered was a shared favorite breakfast spot.

“It’s decided, then, Betts,” Jughead said as they sat down. “This is our new wake-and-bake place.”

Betty smiled. “Glad to hear there will be repeat occurrences. Honestly, there’s no better way to spend a day off.”

Jughead opened his menu, reading intently. 

“Do you really need to look at that menu?” Betty asked, watching him with confusion and folding her arms over her own closed menu before scanning the diner for a server.

Jughead laughed. “Who knows, Betty? I’m stoned. Anything could happen. Maybe I’ll try something new.”

They devoured plates of breakfast food, shoving bacon and eggs and pancakes into their faces with gusto, laughing about past Brighton Cafe experiences featuring very hungover versions of their friends and getting into a lively debate about a book they had polarizing opinions on.

Jughead was offering to pay the bill before Betty knew it, insisting that he cover the food since Betty had covered the weed. She watched him sign the check and fish bills out of his wallet for the tip, studying his messed up morning hair and the relaxed expression on his face.

 _We’re good for each other,_ Betty thought.

“You ready?” Jughead asked, closing the leather billfold and taking a final sip of his coffee.

“Ready for a day of doing nothing? Always,” Betty said, taking his outstretched hand as they left the diner.

\---

After stopping at home for a quick shower, Jughead settled himself on Betty’s bed, watching her pack a bowl to accompany the Season 4 episode of The Office he’d already queued up on Betty’s laptop.

“I’m excited to find out how much funnier The Office will be stoned,” he said, grinning at Betty. 

“Now you’re really getting it!” Betty said, laughing as she handed him the bong. “Wanna try lighting this one yourself?”

He looked nervously down at the glass tube but nodded. He couldn’t have Betty light his bowls for him forever. And what was that thing people said? No time like the present? 

“Okay, so you want to try to corner the bowl,” Betty explained, handing him her pink lighter. “To conserve weed. If you torch the center of the bowl, we’ll get less hits out of it.”

Jughead looked down at the freshly-packed circle of green buds waiting for him. “So, just...light it on the side?” he asked.

“Exactly. And then watch the smoke coming up the bong. When you think there’s enough in there, lift the bowl.”

Jughead gave her an incredulous look. “You might have TOO much faith in me, Betts. You’re gonna kill me.”

“No one has ever died from weed! And you will certainly not be the first,” Betty said indignantly. “But point taken. I’ll tell you when to lift the bowl.”

“Bombs away,” Jughead quipped as he put his mouth around the bong and brought the lighter to the edge of the bowl, pressing his thumb down on the lighter’s metal teeth to light it. The weed finally caught fire and the smoke began traveling up the column toward his open mouth. So far, so good.

“Okay, lift the bowl!” Betty instructed and he sucked up the smoke before letting a generous cloud out.

He coughed a little before handing the bong back to Betty. “Success?”

Betty leaned in closer to Jughead. “Definitely a success.”

Hours passed like that, cuddled up in Betty’s bed smoking bowls and laughing at Michael Scott’s antics, pausing to talk or make a joke or tell a story. 

Neither of them were really sure how they ended up making out under the covers, the “are you still watching?” message from Netflix displayed on Betty’s forgotten laptop screen.

It might’ve been after the huge hit Jughead had accidentally taken, when Betty couldn’t help but giggle at his red eyes and goofy smile, and Jughead couldn’t help but grab her and kiss that smirk right off her face.

Something felt different and more intense as Betty ran her hands through Jughead’s hair and trailed up and down his chest.

“Take it off,” he whispered as she let her fingers slide up his shirt.

Betty flushed. It wasn’t that they hadn’t gotten this far before. But the way he was commanding her, the increasing closeness they had developed over the last 24 hours...Betty knew somewhere deep inside that things were about to progress.

She pulled his shirt up over his head and off his body, both giggling as they worked together to get it off, and without a moment’s hesitation, Betty removed her own t-shirt too. 

Jughead stared at her, the same way he had when they’d gotten caught up in Kevin’s room. She was so purely, innocently beautiful. He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and leaned forward to capture her lips in an intense kiss.

Betty smiled into the kiss, wrapping her hands around his neck as he let his lips travel down her neck and each of her bare shoulders. He gave Betty a glance, silently asking if it was okay, as his kisses began to trail down her collarbone in the direction of her breasts, rising and falling as she panted in her light pink lacy bra.

His lips finally reached her chest and he placed a gentle, experimental kiss to the top of her right breast. Betty sighed in contentment and leaned her head back, which Jughead took as a sign to continue. He kissed the top of the other one for good measure before licking his way down her cleavage, nudging at the lace with his tongue. 

“Take it off,” Betty whispered. 

Jughead’s cheeks turned red, looking up to make eye contact with Betty. This was officially new territory. He’d never seen Betty completely topless before, but he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it every night since his feelings had shifted. 

“Are you sure?” he whispered, rubbing her shoulders gently.

She nodded, pulling the straps of the bra slowly down her arms and unclasping the back. She maintained eye contact with Jughead as she let the bra drop to the bed. He took her in, trailing his eyes down and across her chest.

They were perfect. She was perfect. He wouldn’t say it out loud because he knew she had a complicated relationship with that word, but he would think it from this day forward, he was sure of it.

“Jug,” Betty whispered, blushing under his intense, studying gaze. “Touch me.”

She reached forward for one of his hands and guided it to her chest. Jughead softly stroked her skin. He could feel all the blood rush to his dick the second his thumb grazed over Betty’s nipple as she let out a little moan.

She carded her hands through his hair and brought her lips to his, sliding herself into Jughead’s lap as he became more confident and lightly squeezed her nipples with his fingers. Betty moaned into Jughead’s mouth and deepened the kiss as she involuntarily thrusted on top of him. 

Jughead felt his pants tightening and Betty gasped at the sensation of her wet core grinding against his hardness. He’d never felt so turned on, so certain that all he wanted to do was make Betty feel good, to hear more of those sounds she was making. 

“Oh my god,” Betty whispered as Jughead pulled back and let his tongue trail again down her neck and collarbone before heading for her tits.

He glanced up at Betty, checking she was okay, and found her head thrown back, eyes closed with her fingers still tangled in his hair. Without another moment’s hesitation, he took a nipple in his mouth, sucking. His face warmed with pride when Betty let out a gasp and tugged on his hair. 

“Does that feel good?” he said, his voice low.

“Y-yes,” Betty panted, opening her eyes to take in his flushed face.

Betty watched him, her mouth widening when she realized what he was going to do. She could honestly say she’d never been this turned on with anyone else she’d been with and they were only at second base. 

Always one for symmetry, Jughead took her other nipple in his mouth, sucking as he grazed the other one with his thumb. 

“Oh my god, Jug, yes,” Betty whispered as Jughead swirled his tongue around her nipple. She thrusted harder against him, gasping at the sensation.

“Wait, don’t stop,” she whispered, gripping his hair tight as she felt tingles of pleasure rising in the bottom of her stomach. “I think I’m gonna…” 

She cried out, riding out her orgasm as her mouth opened in a silent scream, Jughead’s mouth continuing its pleasurable assault on her breasts. Finally, she stilled, her hands still holding onto Jughead’s hair as if for dear life, and opened her eyes to look down at him.

Jughead was gazing up at Betty with a look of pure adoration and lust. “I...didn’t know I could come from just...that,” Betty said, her voice breathless. “How did you...how did you know to do that?”

Jughead smiled, pride swelling in his chest. “I like to eat?” he tried in a joking tone and Betty playfully swatted at him.

“I don’t know,” he said, seriously, stroking her shoulder. “It was like an instinct. I just wanted to make you feel good. Every time I look at you, I want to make you feel good.”

Betty reached down and captured Jughead’s lips in a bruising kiss and he eagerly reciprocated, still hard below her as Betty thrusted. She pulled back. “Do you...want me to return the favor?” she asked, running her hand across Jughead’s thighs.

He shook his head, dropping a kiss on Betty’s cheek. “I just want to be here with you, I think,” he said quietly. 

“Okay,” Betty whispered. “Let me just go to the bathroom.” 

She slipped her shirt on and crept into the hall, glad Cheryl was at work, and when she returned, Jughead was already laying back on the bed. He patted the space beside him and Betty eagerly climbed in the bed, resting her head on his chest as she snuggled into him.

“That was the first time someone else has made me come,” she whispered. 

Jughead looked down at her in surprise. “Really? I thought you’d been with other people.”

“Yeah, I have. Even had um...a couple guys I hooked up with go downtown,” she said, gesturing toward her pussy.

Jughead laughed at that. “They went downtown and you didn’t come?”

“Never. I faked it with one,” she admitted. “I’ve...never really had a great sexual experience with anyone before you. That’s why I’ve never had sex. No one ever felt compatible enough...sexually or intellectually. Until you.”

Jughead flushed, kissing the top of her head and pulling her closer into him. “I can say the same for you,” he said quietly. “I’ve never felt the desire to do anything I’ve done with you with anyone else.”

Betty nodded, looking up at him, suddenly worried. Had they gone too fast? “Jug…” she said.

“Yeah?”

“None of this is...too fast for you, right?”

“Betty, I was the one who started licking all over your amazing tits,” Jughead said, squeezing one playfully over her shirt to emphasize the point.

Betty giggled and swatted his hand away. “But I asked you to take my bra off first,” she countered.

Jughead sat up, wanting to look directly into Betty’s eyes when he said this. Betty nudged herself up too so they were both facing each other sitting up in bed. “Everything we did today - with weed and sexually - I wanted to do and I enjoyed,” Jughead said. “I’m attracted to you, Betty. I didn’t realize I could be this attracted to anyone. You’re such a good person for always checking in with me, but I promise, today was nothing short of amazing in every way.”

“Good,” Betty whispered. “And don’t forget that a lot of this is new for me too. I’ve never been so attracted to anyone as I am to you.”

Jughead smiled. “Glad to hear it,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

“I’m a virgin too, so if we decide to take that step…”

Jughead cut her off. “When.”

Betty looked taken aback. 

“I’m not there yet, Betty,” he said, taking her hand. “But I know I will be...and that’s more than I ever would’ve thought before.”

Betty beamed, blushing and kissing Jughead thoroughly on the mouth. “As I was saying,” she said. “WHEN we take that step, we’ll be doing it for the first time together.”

“That’s why it’s not as scary to me as it was before,” Jughead admitted, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. 

As they turned on Parks and Rec on Betty’s laptop, they settled back into cuddling and alternately smoking. 

\---

A few bowls of Granddaddy Purp did the trick for the second night in a row. This time, Jughead and Betty verbally agreed that Jughead would stay in her bed, laughing over Chinese takeout containers in the living room, so there was no awkward falling asleep on the couch to worry about. 

Jughead had just started to drift off to sleep, his eyes fluttering closed in the middle of the episode they’d been watching. Betty yawned and took a final hit from the bong on her bedside table before putting her laptop away and turning to watch Jughead, who looked at peace as his chest rose and fell.

Betty was feeling a million feelings about everything that had happened today, but despite all the joy and desire she felt, there was also the ever-persistent sting of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. Wondering, worrying if she was pushing Jughead to go too fast sexually. He had insisted the pace at which they’d been going was good for him, but her mind couldn’t stop, racing through every possible worst-case scenario.

“Stop worrying,” Jughead whispered, rubbing her back.

She giggled. “You’re awake?”

“I can hear you worrying from here, Betts. Everything is okay.” 

“You know me too well,” she whispered back. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head and held her tighter in his arms as they both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience, y'all! Hope you liked the chapter :) Life is so crazy right now but this story means a lot to me and I have a lot more story to tell. I have a couple Christmas things I'm working on that will take precedent now (along with editing my podcast before the hiatus), so I can't promise how soon the next chapter will be here, but it's coming! Thanks for your continued readership and feedback, it means the absolute world to me!


	11. July 17 - 18, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As exploring their sexuality pulls Betty and Jughead closer together, Jughead begins to see glimpses of the vulnerability Betty doesn’t show anyone else. Oh, and Jughead tries edibles for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all! Thanks to everyone for their continued support and readership! I’m continually overwhelmed with gratitude by the feedback I get on this fic. Sorry that I’ve been slower with updating and replying to comments - life has been only consistently crazier since the fall but this fic remains a source of comfort and joy in the madness, even though I’m too exhausted to update at the pace I’d like! I am constantly thinking of ideas and doing the slow work of piecing this fic together ;) 
> 
> So, I hope this chapter is worth the wait! Let me know what you think, and I’ve been doing a lot of planning and can say with certainty that there are lots of good things coming up for the Exhale universe. xoxo Maria

**Tuesday, July 17**

Jughead had never felt this feeling of quiet exhilaration before. Like he was keeping a secret, holding close to his chest the memory of moments meant just for him and Betty. He could still feel Betty’s lips ghosting over his skin, her breathy moans filling the air of her dark room. It had been so hard to leave her this morning.

He slipped in the front door as carefully as he could, tiptoeing across the creaky floor of their living room and silently banking on his roommates still being asleep. In their apartment, 10 AM might as well be 6 AM.

“Busted,” Sweet Pea hissed and Jughead practically had a heart attack, holding his hand to his chest as he let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched shriek in surprise. 

Fangs and Sweet Pea both burst out laughing, coming out from behind the couch.

“Sorry, Jones, we heard you coming and couldn’t resist,” Fangs said, clapping Jughead on the back.

Jughead scowled. “What are you two doing up so early?” he asked suspiciously.

“We just got home too,” Sweet Pea explained, shrugging.

“Wild night?”

Sweet Pea winked. “Let’s just say we slept in JP.”

“How about you?” Fangs challenged, looking Jughead’s messy outfit and unkempt hair up and down. “Where are you coming from?”

Jughead immediately blushed, rubbing his hand subconsciously across his head to ensure his beanie was in place. “You know where,” he said, shaking his head at them.

“And how is Betty?” Sweet Pea asked, maintaining eye contact to make Jughead shift uncomfortably on his feet.

Jughead thought for a second before grinning, an idea popping into his head from some part of him he didn’t even know existed. “She’s…” he finally said slowly. “Very satisfied.”

Sweet Pea’s mouth dropped open and Fangs hollered out a whoop. “Jones!” Fangs said, impressed.

Jughead scrubbed a hand across his face in exasperation, but sat down on the couch, tipping his head toward the living room furniture in an unspoken invitation to his friends. They quickly joined him, watching Jughead lean back and close his eyes.

“Tired?” Sweet Pea asked, unable to help himself.

Fangs shook his head at Sweet Pea. “You’re a child, honestly, Pea.”

“I’m not as tired as I used to be,” Jughead finally said, opening his eyes and allowing a tentative grin to creep across his face. “As it turns out, the weed really is helping. We smoked a lot yesterday and I slept for like, five hours last night.”

Fangs smiled. “That’s amazing.”

“Who knew how magical weed truly was?” Sweet Pea said, impressed. “Maybe we all should’ve been smoking more this whole time.”

“It seems to work for Cheryl and Betty,” Fangs said thoughtfully.

Jughead pictured Betty straddling him the day before, her head thrown back in ecstasy as he tweaked her nipples. He remembered desperately making out with her, a half-smoked bowl forgotten on the bedside table as she moaned into his mouth. Betty watching him seductively as she blew a hit out from the bong, not having bothered to put her shirt back on quite yet.

“Seriously, they’ve got it all figured out,” Jughead finally said, returning his gaze to his friends.

“You would know,” Fangs said, winking. He cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure how to broach this topic. “Are things going...well with you guys? Like...your relationship?”

Sweet Pea tried to hide his amusement at Fangs’ overly-sensitive delivery. 

“We haven’t had sex yet, Fangs,” Jughead said flatly. “We’re making our way there, slowly but steadily,” he added after a beat.

Sweet Pea clapped his hands together. “There you go. Get it, Jug!” 

Fangs whooped encouragingly at his side.

Jughead shook his head again, rising to his feet. “Well, that’s all you two are getting out of me. I wanna hop in the shower and catch up on some reading before my shift.”

“‘Catch up on some reading,’” Sweet Pea imitated with air quotes. “Nerd.”

“Betty lent me the book in question,” Jughead said suggestively, swaying on his feet a bit as he winked at Sweet Pea. “So a nerd with another hot nerd to fool around with. Who’s really winning here?”

Sweet Pea and Fangs were practically flabbergasted by Jughead’s quick comeback, captivated as they watched him saunter to the bathroom confidently. 

Sweet Pea and Fangs turned to look at each other and at the same time, wide-eyed, they asked: “Wait, was he high?”

\---

In the shower, Jughead let his eyes float closed. He remembered Betty talking about high showers the day before. In fact, it was the very reason he’d accepted Betty’s wake-and-bake offer this morning after she’d assured him he wouldn’t still be high when he had to leave for his 2 PM shift. He wanted to experience what she’d described.

She’d said taking a shower high was one of the most relaxing feelings in the world. “Make it really hot,” she’d advised. “And just let yourself go so you can relax into the warmth and the water and just the ritual of getting yourself clean.” She’d swatted at his hand when he’d burst out laughing. “Okay, you’re right,” she’d conceded. “‘Ritual’ was a little too cult-y of a word for my taste too. How about, just the ACT of getting yourself clean? The feeling of it.” She’d searched his expression, clearly wanting to ensure Jughead understood what she was saying.

“That sounds amazing,” Jughead had said. “I can’t wait to try it.”

And so he’d kept his word. He was already understanding what Betty meant. He felt as if the warmth of the water was spreading to every part of his being and filling him to the brim. He opened his eyes and was almost dazed to find bottles of soap staring back at him. _Did I put shampoo in my hair yet?_ he thought, honestly unable to remember.

He shrugged, reaching forward to pump some shampoo into the palm of his hand, and allowing himself to get lost in the act of washing. Just like Betty said. He threw his head back, pulling his fingers through his hair with methodical concentration, feeling so content with how warm and full he felt in that moment. The smell of shampoo filled his nostrils, overtaking his senses and making him feel cleansed inside and out. Betty was right, this felt great. He’d have to text her about it when he got out.

As he rinsed out his hair, Jughead let his mind wander from the thought of texting Betty to the thought of seeing her later. Would there be a repeat of yesterday when they finally got alone together again?

He remembered the first moment she had removed her bra, being so mesmerized by how beautiful she looked, bared to him, vulnerable and trusting. He could practically hear the little gasp she’d let out when he’d first held one of her nipples between his fingers, the sharp intake of breath as her eyes had darkened. The walls of the shower seemed to fade away as he stood under the stream, imagining the warmth of Betty’s bed instead.

He caught himself, looking down to find himself hard. This was something he’d experienced much more frequently as a teen, at that stage of adolescence when boys were constantly turning beet red and shoving books in front of their pants at just the worst possible moment. That had been almost an involuntary human experience, a bodily reaction to being.

But as he’d moved into young adulthood, he’d rarely felt that spontaneous arousal again. And when he had, it had been about choice TV and movie characters that he had watched over and over again, whose stories and attributes had practically been ingrained in him from many years of binge-watching into the late-night hours. It had always been one of the pieces of evidence he’d held up as proof that he was demisexual. Like, fuck, even in his fantasies he needed to know enough about the fictional girl to the point of borderline obsession. It was almost comical.

Jughead looked down again at his dick, stubbornly risen to the occasion when all he’d wanted to do was relax. Only since he’d started feeling things for Betty had imagining an actual human person got him going like this. That made him smile and relax a bit. _Masturbating real quick surely would be acceptable under Betty’s instructions to let himself go and relax, right? Especially if he was thinking about her…_ He flushed, already thinking of how he could tease Betty about this when they were alone in her bed later. 

He closed his eyes again as he gripped his dick and allowed himself to return to Betty’s bed in his mind. It wasn’t too hard to get back there. The warmth of the water’s cascade could easily be the warmth of Betty in his arms, of her breasts in the palm of his hands as she bit her lip and whined. He began stroking himself, picturing her face when she’d come in his lap, thrusting as he licked across her chest furiously. 

He came quickly, leaning back against the tile and sighing in relief before quickly cleaning himself up. 

_Time to finish my shower and get down to business,_ Jughead practically chastised himself, feeling weirdly dirty even though he knew Betty would almost certainly be turned on if he told her he’d masturbated to the thought of her.

If he was being honest with himself, Jughead knew this would certainly not be the last time thoughts of last night would invade his mind today. As much as he tried to keep on task at work, Betty always seemed to find a way of swimming to the front of his consciousness lately.

Maybe more importantly, he knew this wouldn’t be the last time today he’d think of last night and let his mind hope about what would happen between them later. (How he couldn’t wait to do it all again and how it didn’t even scare him the way he thought it would.)

\---

They didn’t end up quite as alone as Jughead hoped they would.

He had his arm tightly wrapped around Betty as she cuddled into him on one end of her living room couch, which they were sharing with Kevin and Valerie. Cheryl and Toni snuggled up on an armchair, while Moose and Melody had been fussing around with something in the kitchen since they’d arrived an hour before. They heard the occasional sign of playful arguing every ten minutes or so.

(About an hour before the end of his shift, Betty had texted Jughead that Cheryl had invited everyone over without telling her, so they’d have to make at least a partial appearance in the living room. Jughead couldn’t help being a little disappointed, but was excited to be with Betty nonetheless. If Betty got her way—and she usually did—they’d end up alone at some point in the night, and that thought alone was enough to comfort him.)

“So, Jughead,” Kevin said, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he studied his friend’s new beau. “I’ve noticed you don’t use social media too much.”

Jughead shot Betty a concerned look but she shook her head, her eyes silently seeming to say, “just humor him.”

“I…” Jughead searched for something to say back to Betty’s social media-savvy friend. “I just posted a photo of Betty recently.”

Kevin looked aghast. “That was ‘recent’ for you? Oh, boy.”

Cheryl and Toni both laughed aloud at Kevin’s response, Cheryl adding a light-hearted “boo!” to the mix, while Valerie called from next to him, “Instagram thot!”

“I’m gonna need to ask you a few questions, Jug, as it’s clear I won’t find the answers online like I normally would,” Kevin said, pointedly ignoring his friends’ interjections.

Jughead was at a serious loss for words this time. “Like you…normally would?”

Betty giggled at the concerned look on her boyfriend’s face. She cuddled up closer into him, burying her face in his chest and rubbing his shoulder with her arm. He looked over at her, easily distracted from Kevin’s nonsense by the beautiful girl hanging onto him.

“Kevin, stop!” Betty insisted, her voice slightly muffled by Jughead’s chest.

“Jughead!” Kevin hissed, ignoring Betty. “Don’t be distracted by Betty, as perfect as we all agree she is.”

Jughead felt Betty flinch at the word “perfect,” and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

“Now, down to the important questions…” Kevin continued.

“Boo!” Cheryl called again, with Toni joining in this time.

“Are you open to a three-”

“Kevin!” Valerie shrieked from next to him, finally forcing Kevin to address the shrill, loud sound in his ear.

“Jesus, what, woman?”

“Stop interrogating the poor boy!” Valerie snapped.

Jughead laughed awkwardly as Betty kissed his cheek. At that moment, Melody and Moose finally joined them from the kitchen.

“Whatever y’all are doing, leave that poor boy alone and pay attention to us,” Melody said.

Moose held a Tupperware container above his head victoriously. “Friends, behold our first batch of edible caramels!”

Everyone cheered in a way that was oddly reminiscent of what Jughead assumed a NASCAR race would be like. Well, if a NASCAR race was filled with weirdly-combative, quick-witted, college-age stoners.

Betty looked less surprised than Jughead was. He wasn’t entirely sure what everyone was celebrating. He nudged Betty, who smiled at him. “Do you need another stoner translation?” Betty asked, amused.

Jughead nodded, putting on a playfully sad face. Betty placed a careful kiss on his cheek. “They made weed caramels,” she explained.

Moose handed Jughead a perfectly-cut square caramel wrapped in wax paper. “I made these with you in mind, bud,” he said. “A perfect sleeping concoction. Take it like an hour before you want to go to bed.”

Jughead looked down in awe at the little brown package Moose had placed in his hand. “You...made me an edible?”

Moose nodded, looking proud of himself. “I consider myself an edible connoisseur.”

Betty laughed. “It’s true,” she said, looking at Jughead encouragingly. “He’s always trying out new recipes and he wanted to help when I told him you were starting to use weed for your insomnia.”

“Helping my mom with her insomnia was how I first got into baking edibles,” Moose explained, moving across the room to give Cheryl and Toni their caramels. “She didn’t want to actually smoke.”

“It was so cute,” Cheryl said, smiling at Moose as he perched himself next to Kevin on the arm of the couch, finally finished passing out his latest creations.

“That’s really cool,” Jughead said, feeling genuinely touched that Moose would think about him during his zany weed cooking. “Thanks for this, I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” Moose said. “Let me know how it works for you.” He shot Jughead a wink and Betty grinned, tightening her grip on Jughead’s arm proudly. Jughead could sense how happy she was that her friends seemed to like him. It made him warm too.

“Now, when I went to pick up weed today for the caramels, I got a new strain too,” Moose said, pulling a medicine vial out of his pocket. “Joint anyone?”

A combination of groans and enthusiastic replies emitted from the group, but the question was largely rhetorical anyway, as Moose had already pulled out a pack of rolling papers and a grinder. He stooped down in front of the coffee table, getting ready to roll the joint. Valerie shook her head but got up to open a window, exchanging a look with Kevin as she returned to her seat.

Jughead looked confusedly at Cheryl, who was definitely also exchanging an exasperated look with Kevin, but Betty seemed to be ignoring it, launching into a conversation with Valerie and Melody instead. Jughead took the moment to rub Betty’s shoulder, earning an appreciative smile from her, and tried to join his girl’s conversation to distract himself from whatever weird drama her friends had cooked up this time.

Moose stood up and sparked his joint, taking a generous first hit and breathing the smoke toward the open window. He held his head back, looking giddy when he handed the joint to Cheryl. “This is some good shit,” he said.

Cheryl inspected the joint between her perfectly manicured fingers before taking a dainty first hit. Toni smirked, watching her girlfriend’s melodrama with amusement. Cheryl winced as she breathed out a hit and smacked her lips unpleasantly.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Toni asked as she took the joint from Cheryl.

Cheryl spit into her hand, looking horrified. “Fuckin’ Scooby Snacks,” she muttered, pulling a tissue out of the box next to her.

Everyone groaned sympathetically and Toni carefully puffed on the joint, but made a disgusted, guttural sound of her own after she breathed out. “Ugh, I got Scooby Snacks too.”

Jughead was confounded. What the fuck were they all talking about? “I’m sorry,” he finally said, unable to take it anymore. “What in the ever-loving fuck is a ‘Scooby Snack?’”

Betty accepted the joint from Toni and turned to beam at her clueless-looking boyfriend. Everyone laughed, leaving it to Betty to educate their newest weed convert.“It’s when little burnt weed crumbs get stuck in your mouth when you’re smoking,” Betty explained, a twinkle in her eye as she took her hit, letting the smoke cascade out the side of her mouth without letting her gaze leave Jughead’s amused face. She watched his lips quirk up in amusement.

“So, another one of your absolutely ridiculous stoner terms that you use in casual conversation?” Jughead said, and everyone laughed.

Betty handed Jughead the joint, planting a chaste kiss on his lips. “Now you’re learning, Jug,” she murmured as she pulled back.

Jughead smiled, taking his own hit and passing politely to Valerie.

Cheryl finished taking generous sips of water to cleanse her mouth. “The point is,” she cleared her throat. “That I am accustomed to joints that don’t produce excessive Scooby Snacks. Something that we have found, time and time again, that Moose’s joints cannot deliver.”

Everyone burst out in stoned, raucous laughter, Kevin yelling with the joint between his fingers, “Ooh! Cheryl is coming for Moose’s life!”

Betty turned to lock eyes with Jughead as they both laughed at the argument unfolding before them. 

“How dare you, Cheryl!” Moose said, rising again to his feet as Kevin passed the joint back to him. 

Cheryl climbed down from Toni’s lap, putting her hands on her hips as she faced her friend. “Your joints are too loose and your skills leave something to be desired,” she said, doubling down and waiting for Moose’s rebuttal. The group of friends watched silently, eyes darting back and forth between the two as if at a tennis match.

“I’m trying to get better!” Moose insisted, waving the joint around in his hand. “Practice makes perfect, isn’t that what they say? How can I get better if you never let me roll!”

“We already vetoed your strategy. You can smoke your terrible joints to the face until you improve,” Cheryl decreed and Kevin and Valerie cheered in agreement while Melody folded her arms, her face set in a neutral frown.

Jughead and Betty laughed, Betty reaching up to kiss Jughead on the cheek to make sure he was doing okay. He smiled back at her before they turned back to the conversation.

“Betty is the best roller, we all know this,” Melody finally said plainly, and everyone murmured their agreement.

“Again, we already had this conversation back in April,” Cheryl said. “Does no one remember?”

“Oh, I remember!” Kevin said. “We declared Betty the group joint roller because her joints have the best and I quote, ‘structural integrity,’ end quote.”

Jughead was stunned but couldn’t help but flush with pride as he turned to look down at Betty snuggled into his chest. “Is that true?” he said. “Are you the best roller in the group?”

Betty blushed. “I guess my natural mechanic instincts somehow managed to translate into rolling masterful joints,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“Betty’s good at everything,” Valerie gushed. “She can pick locks too.”

“Came in handy when we had to rescue Kevin from a really creepy Grindr dude sophomore year,” Melody explained, looking at Jughead as she talked, and they all nodded.

Jughead eyes widened, taking in all this information as Betty’s friends talked quickly, bouncing off each other faster than they could pass the joint from one person to the next. They were hilarious and fun, but it was still a lot to handle for a natural introvert like himself.

Betty reached up to gently brush his cheek with her lips, sensing him tense up beneath her grip. “You doing okay?” she whispered in his ear.

He closed his eyes for a second. “Yeah,” he said, opening them and shooting Betty a genuine smile. “I’m impressed to hear about your superior rolling skills, though I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Betty blushed, leaning forward to retort but Cheryl interrupted them. “Flirt later, lovebirds,” she said. “Betty, we need you to roll us a second joint. This one won’t suffice.”

Moose rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m finishing it then,” he said, taking another hit and immediately sputtering when he tasted Scooby Snacks of his own. He ran over to the kitchen sink to spit. “Okay, maybe you have a point.”

Everyone shrieked with laughter and in the chaos, Betty grabbed Moose’s rolling papers and left Jughead’s embrace to craft her joint kneeling before the coffee table. Melody headed over to plug in her playlist as Cheryl, Toni, and Valerie immediately got up to dance with her. Kevin, always the loyal roommate, stood with Moose in the kitchen, passing his less-than-ideal joint back and forth near the sink.

The situation left Jughead to watch Betty roll, the careful and methodical movement of her hands as she tucked and rolled with measured patience. Jughead was captivated and, if he was being honest, a little turned on.

“So, is it true?” he finally worked up the courage to croak out. “Does practice make perfect?”

Betty paused her hand’s motions, flicking her eyes up to meet his. She was pleasantly flushed to find a flirtatious expression on his face. “Oh, yes,” she simpered. “It took many hours of bending over and using my fingers to get it just right.”

Jughead’s cheeks reddened at her bold flirtation. Valerie was right, Betty really was good at everything. Knowing she’d won by the way Jughead shifted around uncomfortably on the couch, Betty smirked at him before returning to her careful tucking. 

Jughead adjusted himself, hoping Betty would find an excuse for them to sneak away and be alone soon. Betty got to her feet and walked back toward him, proudly showing Jughead the perfectly-rolled little marijuana cigarette she had produced in a mere five minutes. 

Jughead took it from her, inspecting it closely with an impressed look on his face as Betty watched him expectantly. “Wow, structural integrity is right,” Jughead said, meeting her eyes as he smiled.

Betty laughed heartily. “Let’s spark it up,” she said, and Jughead handed it back to her to do the honors.

Betty led them into the center of the living room, where the ladies had pulled all the furniture back and were now twisting, grinding, and dropping it low to Melody’s playlist. Everyone cheered when Betty entered the circle, letting Jughead take a hit a little more privately before she passed it along to the rest of the group. 

The joint was soon on its way around the circle, and Betty and Jughead could hide again under the haze that filled the room as everyone puffed and breathed out, laughed and danced and giggled. Betty wrapped her arms around Jughead’s neck and held him close as they danced, somehow flying right under everyone’s radar to steal quiet moments together when the joint wasn’t coming their way.

But it wasn’t enough for Betty. 

When her joint was finally finished, she reached up on her tiptoes and whispered into Jughead’s ear, “Back porch?”

He grinned immediately, nodding as she removed her arms from around his neck and instead gripped one of his hands in her own, tugging them quietly away from the party atmosphere. She pocketed her weed and grinder from the coffee table, knowing a lighter, ashtray, and bowl were already waiting for them outside. (She’d made sure to have an escape plan in place. She was Betty Cooper, after all.)

“So,” Jughead said, when his arm was finally draped loosely around Betty as they rocked on the porch swing, in their natural place with Betty letting out a first hit and a small cough before letting the bowl rest on the table for a minute.

“Yes?” Betty said, searching his face.

Jughead’s eyes betrayed a glint of teasing. “I really did enjoy learning so many new things about you,” he said. “You’re even more of a Nancy Drew than I thought. Picking locks?”

Betty smirked back at him. “I always have a bobby pin on me, if you’re ever in need,” she said, mock-saluting him. She picked up her bowl again, taking a hit and offering it to him this time.

He nodded, taking the cool glass piece in his hands. “I knew I’d only scratched the surface of how multi-talented you are,” Jughead said on his exhale.

Betty laugh-coughed after a quick hit, then took a second one. “You really are into me, huh, Jug?” she teased and he swatted at her shoulder playfully.

“Just kidding,” she whispered, kissing his forehead and giving him the bowl again as if it was a peace offering. He dramatically accepted.

They settled into a slight silence. Only about twenty seconds in reality, but in the little bubble they’d created for themselves it felt like a profound amount of time. It dawned on Jughead that he was finally starting to understand what Betty had told him before his first-ever smoke, about getting lost in a...what had she called it? 

“It’s like, being in this...version of the universe with someone that you two have created for just the two of you,” Jughead said, only realizing halfway through his sentence he was speaking out loud. “And only you two can really understand it,” he added, still looking thoughtful. “If someone else comes, I think it would become something else. That universe was made just for the two of you, and that’s what makes it feel so…”

A huge grin split across Betty’s face as she turned to look at him with a mixture of surprise and excitement. “Safe?” she asked.

He nodded, a mesmerized look in his eyes as he watched her. He felt good, really good. The level of giddiness was almost on the level he’d felt that first time he had realized he was stoned. It was like some sort of low-level stoner breakthrough.

“Exactly,” she said, enthusiasm evident in her voice. “That’s exactly what I meant.”

“About smoking a bowl with someone,” Jughead confirmed, staring intently into Betty’s eyes.

“Yes,” she said. “Or sharing a joint. It can be really intimate if you...give yourself over to it properly.”

He nodded, watching her ash the bowl that had regrettably gone out. “So…” he said, searching through the million thoughts that had popped through his head since they’d started smoking in the living room, desperate to latch onto something he could verbalize.

He landed on: “How exactly did you learn to roll joints so well?”

Betty’s eyes softened but she shook her head. “Afraid that story is one for another day,” she explained, with a twinkle in her eye that left Jughead intrigued. 

He reached for her, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he stared into her eyes. She seemed to devour him in return, hungrily taking in each of his features. In the back of his mind, Jughead registered the quiet but ever-present creak of the porch swing moving back and forth, reminding him that he was, indeed, sitting on solid ground. Looking into Betty’s eyes as both their hands smoothed themselves over each other’s faces, unsure quite how many hits he’d had between all the offers he’d accepted since arriving at Betty’s apartment, Jughead honestly felt like he was floating. And it was pretty magnificent.

Betty and Jughead’s lips finally met in a clash that made Jughead see explosive pinks and blues and greens behind his eyes, lost in the warmth and feel of her, the slight creak of the porch swing and muffled roar of their friends somehow becoming beautiful in the melody of _us_. With each rotation of the porch swing, it seemed to say to Jughead: _Us, us, us. Here right now._

Jughead’s hands had begun to travel south toward Betty’s chest when Betty finally pulled back, grabbing ahold of her senses. “Sorry,” Jughead whispered, panting.

“Don’t be sorry,” Betty was breathing heavily too. “I wish we could...maybe...we could go to my room?”

They both thought for a second before shaking their heads almost simultaneously.

“...we’ll end up doing more,” Betty whispered at the same time Jughead softly said, “...I know I want to do more, and…”

“...don’t want to risk anyone hearing us…” Betty said.

“...or walking in on us,” Jughead murmured, his eyes widening at the mere thought of it, thinking back to how mortified they’d been when Cheryl and Josie had walked in on just their relatively innocent yet horizontal make-out the other day.

Betty shook her head, imagining it herself. It wasn’t a pretty picture, given how many of their friends were over and how stoned they all already were. Betty imagined many of the caramels had been eaten by her friends since they’d escaped to the back porch—on top of how good everyone had been feeling before. 

“It would probably kill the vibe with everyone on the other side of the door anyway,” Betty admitted.

“Yeah,” Jughead sighed. “I’ve never understood that whole having-sex-at-a-party thing,” he admitted, the very thought conjuring images of rowdy teen movie scenes in his mind.

“I mean, public sex has its allure.”

Jughead raised his eyebrows at Betty, feeling surprisingly aroused by her statement. “Oh, yeah?” he lowered his voice. 

“Yeah,” Betty leaned forward and pressed a careful kiss to the corner of his mouth, moving to lean back teasingly. He grabbed her face in his hands, pulling her back toward him before she could get away. She giggled as he captured her lips in a deep kiss. She caught herself, reaching around to rub down his back, needing to grip onto something as she lost herself in his warm mouth and the possessive yet gentle way he was still cradling her cheeks in his hands.

“Ugh,” Betty murmured, mouths still inches from each other. “We have to stop.”

“Do we?” Jughead tried in the most charming voice he could muster.

Betty sighed, wanting so badly to surrender to her desires. She leaned in and kissed him soundly. “We have to take a rain check,” she said sadly. “At the very least until everyone leaves.” 

She gave him a wink and leaned a bit farther away from him to grab the bowl they’d abandoned. “Want a hit?” she asked as she lifted the bowl toward her lips.

Jughead shook his head, a little lost in thought. “I’ll pass for now.” A half-quietness stretched as Betty took a couple puffs off the bowl. (After all, they could still hear the muffled sound of the bass mingled with the dull roar of everyone dancing and cheering.)

“Let’s make a plan to hang out tomorrow night,” Betty blurted out as her little cloud of smoke floated away from them into the Allston sky.

A drunk-sounding passerby screamed, interjecting in their conversation with the inspiring slogan, “RAT CITY BITCH!” Betty and Jughead both burst out laughing.

“Only in Allston,” Betty said, tipping her head back. 

Jughead shook his head. “Okay, maybe I will take a hit off that.”

Betty smiled and passed him the bowl, watching him, mesmerized, as he took a tentative hit. She had to keep reminding herself it was only his third day smoking like, ever. They were so comfortable with each other that they’d fallen into this natural rhythm so quickly. It only seemed weird once it was brought out into the limelight with the group. Betty sensed it had possibly made Jughead shrink back a bit, which was why she’d proposed this bowl in the first place. It made her smile that Jughead was smoking more readily when it was just the two of them.

Jughead passed the pipe back, shooting Betty one of his charming little smirks as she was becoming accustomed to him doing. “Thinking about me?” he guessed, referencing her obvious silence while he’d puffed away.

Betty looked into his eyes, noticeably lower than before she’d passed him the piece. She giggled and cupped his chin in her hands. “You’re the cutest,” she whispered.

“You are too,” he said, closing the gap to kiss her softly. “Anyway,” he said, pulling back. “Yes, let’s hang out tomorrow night. In case our lunatic friends somehow screw tonight up.” A cheer emitted from the apartment. Jughead nudged his head in the direction of the sound, punctuating his point.

“So, do you think you’re gonna take that edible Moose gave you tonight?” Betty asked, holding the bowl steady for a minute without smoking it.

Jughead looked thoughtful. “I think I want to try,” he said. “Especially if he made it with sleeping well in mind. I mean, why not give it a try, right?”

Betty nodded, beaming. “I’m glad. We didn’t want to pressure you or anything, but Moose’s edibles are amazing, even if his joints aren’t...great.”

Jughead smiled, amazed that Betty could be so diplomatic about Moose’s joint-rolling skills after the rest of the crew had straight up roasted Moose as if they were being filmed for a Comedy Central special. They were ruthless. Hilarious, ruthless, and also, weirdly, loving. He continued to be intrigued by Betty and Cheryl’s friends.

“Well, remember what Moose said. Take it about an hour before you’re hoping to start getting stoned and sleepy.”

“Oh, yeah, Weed Queen of mine. Any edible wisdom to impart?”

Betty wanted to kiss the cheeky grin off Jughead’s face, but he’d gotten her. She did, in fact, have some wisdom to impart. “Thanks for addressing me by the proper title,” Betty said, tipping her head at him as he laughed.

Jughead gave her an expectant look in return.

“Okay,” Betty said, clearing her throat dramatically. “It really is the kind of high that takes awhile to kick in, hence the hourlong wait.” Jughead nodded as she continued. “But then when it hits you, it hits like a ton of bricks. I mean, you always have to remember with edibles that there’s no going back once that thing is inside you. A big mistake people tend to make is taking too much. They’ll think they didn’t take enough because it doesn’t kick in right away. They take more, and an hour later they’re way too stoned.”

“Damn,” Jughead said. “How do people know how much to take?” 

“Well, a good edible maker like Moose measures out how much weed is going in the recipe and can predict there will be a certain amount of grams’ worth of weed per piece of the edible,” Betty said. “Moose has gotten very good at making his edibles pretty uniform as far as strength goes.” 

“Is it like, a small-medium-large kind of situation, though? Like, without you guys, how would I know how much to have?”

Betty laughed. “You really are a barista, huh? Small-medium-large coffee to go?”

Jughead laughed too. “Something like that.”

“I mean, it’s hard to say,” she said, thinking. “Because it has so much to do with tolerance, which is subjective and is based on how long you’ve been smoking, how frequently you smoke, how much you’ve been smoking even just lately. If you smoke every day and then take a month-long break, you’ll have a much lower tolerance when you finally smoke again than you did when you stopped.”

Jughead was completely captivated by Betty’s speech, taking in the information with awe. “I could listen to you talk about this shit all night,” he admitted, making Betty blush.

“I bet my friends are in there eating caramels right now,” Betty said. “But since you have like, no tolerance in comparison to them, I wouldn’t advise you take yours till before bed.”

Jughead nodded slowly. “I think I get it,” he said. “And I’ll be just as high as them?”

Betty nodded enthusiastically. “Probably even higher than them. You’re a cheap date,” she explained, smiling as she bumped his shoulder with her own playfully. 

“Hopefully I’ll be here with you when I eat the caramel, though. Right?” Jughead said, a hopeful look in his eyes. Right after he’d said it, he immediately started having second thoughts. _Maybe Betty didn’t want staying over to be a regular thing. He shouldn’t presume._ The thought of Betty not being present for one of his weed milestones was weirdly disarming to Jughead, but a grin split across Betty’s face at his words.

“Let’s hope,” she said, crossing her fingers in the air. “As long as my ‘lunatic friends,’ as you called them, don’t ruin this for us, we are golden.”

Jughead grabbed Betty’s hands with his own and leaned toward her. She stroked her hands over his knuckles, closing her eyes in anticipation as Jughead moved ever closer.

They were startled apart by a knock at the screen door. “Fuck,” Betty whispered as they sprang apart.

“Speak of the devil,” Jughead whispered.

Toni looked mortified from the other side of the thin screen as she slid the door open tentatively. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I was just wondering if maybe...I could come smoke a bowl with you two?” 

Her eyes looked so hopeful, and Jughead felt bad for his friend even as a part of him was shooting daggers back at her for interrupting his moment. He finally got a girlfriend and his oldest friend was cockblocking him. _For shame, Toni, for shame!_

Betty sighed, feeling just as turned on as Jughead. They were pretty obviously entangled on the porch swing, but Toni quickly settled herself on the other chair anyway. Clearly Cheryl and Toni’s definition of boundaries were very different from their own.

“Sorry,” Toni said again, to her credit. She sensed at the very least Jughead’s discomfort. “Josie arrived with a very rowdy date she met at a gig or something,” she shook her head, locking eyes with Jughead in a further attempt to empathize about their significant others’ sometimes-crazy friends.

“Oh, God,” Betty said. “Josie has questionable taste in men. Sometimes all she cares about is whether the D will keep her satisfied for the week. No judgment, but it does occasionally lead to her bringing unruly men to our get-togethers.”

Jughead and Toni both laughed, Betty’s words easily breaking the tension over the interruption. Betty offered Toni their mostly-smoked bowl. “I think there’s one hit left in there,” she said. 

Toni accepted it as Betty began placing little pieces of nug in her grinder. “I’ll repack,” she said, smiling at Toni.

Jughead looked down at Betty adoringly. How could this girl be so genuine and kind and want to spend so much time with him? He couldn’t believe it. 

Toni watched them from her perch, breathing out her hit slowly as Jughead tugged on Betty’s arm and she giggled. The way they were acting with each other, all lingering stares and little touches, made Toni unspeakably happy for her oldest friend. She could see Betty and Jughead had already developed their own language, in the same way she knew she had with Cheryl, and it made her heart burst for them. 

Toni ashed the bowl in the cracked ashtray and handed it to Jughead, who had turned from Betty, laughing about something she’d said, to grab the empty pipe from Toni for Betty. Toni just watched them, unable to believe how quickly they’d fallen into this rhythm. At the same time, she thought, it felt almost as if it had always been like this.

\---

Two and a half bowls later, when Jughead’s eyes were lower than Toni had certainly ever seen them, Cheryl finally bounded out to the back porch in search of her beau.

The redhead’s eyes spelled trouble as she cried out a mournful-sounding, “TT!”

Toni sprang up from the chair. “Cheryl, what’s up?”

Betty and Jughead stood up from the porch swing. They admittedly had dozed off a bit snuggled up in each other’s arms. They’d all fallen into a natural silence about a minute before Cheryl had burst onto the porch.

“What’s going on, Cheryl?” Betty asked, yawning and stretching out her arms.

“Kevin fell asleep,” Cheryl said, sighing. “On my bed.”

She led all of them to her room, which was opened a crack. They immediately noticed that almost everyone had cleared out of the living room since they’d last been inside.

They all peered inside Cheryl’s room to find Kevin sprawled out diagonally across Cheryl’s queen-size bed. It was honestly impressive how much space he’d managed to take up on the cherry-red duvet.

“He took three of Moose’s caramels,” Cheryl explained, shaking her head. “I told him he only had enough tolerance right now for two.”

Betty shook her head with Cheryl. “When will men learn to listen to women?”

“Apparently not today,” Cheryl said, sighing and gripping Betty’s arm with her own. “Unfortunately for all of us, this means that I need to crash with Betty. I simply will not be subjected to sleeping on a couch of all places.” Her voice meant all business, and Jughead tried to hide his disappointment as Cheryl shoved him aside to get a moment alone with Toni in the living room before they left.

Kevin let out a loud snore and Betty laughed, grabbing Jughead by the arm and leading him back to her room. Jughead made a beeline for the backpack he’d packed with a change of clothes just in case he’d ended up crashing again, suddenly feeling awkward about saying goodbye. There was something about it not being on their terms that had him rattled.

Betty watched him carefully, obvious regret displayed on her face as well. She’d been thinking about Jughead all day, more and more desperate for a repeat of the day before with every one of their kisses and touches. Jughead finally looked up, finished double-checking his backpack, to lock eyes with Betty. He saw how sad she looked and knew he mirrored the same sadness back. They both grinned at the same time, laughing awkwardly as they moved to meet in the middle.

“I’m sad you can’t stay,” Betty finally said, needing to state the obvious.

“Same,” Jughead said, brightening as he finally confirmed they were on the same page. This all felt like such new territory to him and he wished he could stop second-guessing himself. He hoped with time that the doubt would begin to fade away.

Betty reached up to cup his face in her hand and he smiled down at her in adoration. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. “We’ll go to class together?”

Jughead nodded, leaning down to meet her lips with his own. Jughead reached down to grab her around the waist, pulling her close as they frantically made out. They were interrupted by Toni and Cheryl clearing their throats loudly. Betty winced as they pulled back, opening her eyes to see them watching awkwardly from the door.

“Good night, Jughead,” she said softly, releasing him.

He smiled at her boyishly, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said softly before following Toni toward the front door.

\---

An hour and a half later, Cheryl slept soundly beside Betty as she burrowed under the covers, still texting Jughead and trying desperately not to awaken the dragon that Cheryl unsurprisingly became after dark.

BETTY: Sorry again I couldn’t be with you for this.

JUGHEAD: Don’t worry about it, Betts. We have the power of technology on our side.

BETTY: Lol. Although...I guess I could’ve come with you?

JUGHEAD: When you have Cheryl Bombshell as your bedmate tonight? I could never compete.

BETTY: HAHAHA. You’re so funny.

JUGHEAD: Don’t flatter me too much, Betty. I’ll get a complex.

BETTY: What if I’m confident in my ability to keep you in line?

JUGHEAD: Okay, scratch what I said before. Come over.

BETTY: LOL. ;) How long ago did you take the edible again?

JUGHEAD: Exactly 67 minutes ago.

BETTY: Can always count on you to be precise.

JUGHEAD: Ah, yes. Sweet Pea thinks we’re nerds.

BETTY: At least we’re nerds together? :)

JUGHEAD: That’s what I said!

Betty grinned for what felt like the millionth time that night.

BETTY: What do you want to do tomorrow night? 

She waited for the telltale dots to hover over her screen, but they didn’t come. She watched her screen closely, trying not to obsess too much over it. Over whether she’d said the wrong thing or was coming on too strong or... _Oh, fuck,_ she thought, breaking down the tunnel vision her anxiety had temporarily created. _He probably fell asleep, duh! The edible hit him. It’s not always about you and everyone is not always out to get you, Betty!_ she reminded herself.

Betty pictured Jughead fast asleep in his bed and let out a light giggle, immediately followed by a gasp as she remembered Cheryl was sleeping mere inches from her. Cheryl groaned, weakly trying to swat at Betty from across the bed but Betty managed to dodge her from under the covers. Betty crawled up the bed toward her pillow, nudging her head out of the bedspread to ensure Cheryl’s sleep-demon self wasn’t still trying to assault her. She squinted in the darkness, sighing in relief when she found Cheryl sleeping soundly again, her chest moving up and down. 

Betty looked down at her phone one last time. No dots, no new texts. Just her question, waiting for Jughead to answer it in the morning. Betty smiled, typing and plugging her phone into its charger as she finally closed her eyes for the night.

BETTY: I see Moose’s latest concoction is a success. Can’t wait to debrief. See you at the T stop. XOXO Betty.

**Wednesday, July 18**

It was cute when Betty’s voice dripped with sarcasm. 

“Any reason your texts stopped so abruptly last night, or…?”

Jughead smirked from the other side of the silver pole the two of them gripped on the T as it sputtered its way closer to campus, inch by inch.

Jughead made a show of thinking about it, tapping his long fingers on his chin. “Might have been this....thing I ate last night,” he said, smiling at Betty. 

Betty blinked her eyes in mock confusion. “Well, Jug,” she said. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“I ate this,” he moved closer to her and said in a stage whisper, “weed caramel.”

Betty giggled. “Seriously, though,” she said, finally turning serious. “How was it?”

Jughead’s expression softened. “It went really well,” he said. “Toni and Sweet Pea were surprisingly helpful this time. Sweet Pea got home right when we got home.”

Betty’s eyes perked up curiously. “That’s great.”

“They’re certainly no weed royalty,” Jughead said, flashing Betty a smile. “But they’ve both had their share of weed brownie experiences, so they convinced me to eat it.”

Betty laughed, remembering Jughead’s string of worried texts the night before while he had been trying to get himself to just shove the damn caramel in his mouth already.

“My advice was helpful, right?” Betty piped in.

Jughead nodded enthusiastically. “Of course. Toni and Sweet Pea were good enough to ask what you told me to do, and I read them your texts verbatim at that point.”

Betty laughed, picturing the scene.“‘Take the edible and then go brush your teeth and get yourself comfortable for bed so the high will sink into you,’” Jughead recited it back to Betty’s bewildered stare.

“Yeah,” Jughead said, cracking a smile. “Once Toni and Sweet Pea heard that, they pretty firmly told me to just listen to my girlfriend and I’d be fine.”

Betty beamed, weirdly proud to hear that. “And?”

“And,” Jughead cupped Betty’s cheek briefly in his hand. “And they were, of course, exactly right. I was lying in bed, totally relaxed, just reading and texting you when it finally hit me.”

Betty grinned. “Did it feel good?”

Jughead nodded. “Definitely but I totally get what you meant about it being a more intense high. I felt, like...tingles...all over my body.”

Betty nodded. “It’s definitely more of a body high than normal smoking.”

“I’m not complaining though. Since I followed your sage advice, I was just giggly and tingling in bed and I got comfortable quick and just...floated into sleeping. That thing had me out flat for seven whole hours!”

A look of pure excitement and surprise overcame Betty’s face.

“That’s amazing!” she shrieked as two men in suits shot judgmental looks their way.

Betty ignored them, raising her hand in Jughead’s direction.

“High five? Really, Betts?”

“Hey now, Moose LOVES to high-five. He’ll be so happy his edible helped.”

Jughead’s expression softened at that, remembering Moose’s genuine words the night before, and their hands met in a solid high-five.

Before going into class, they stopped to send Moose a message. The caption: ‘Success! Your edibles helped him sleep for seven hours!!!’ The picture: a beaming selfie of the two of them, Betty pointing up at Jughead as his arm looped naturally around her neck.

\---

“Moose sent back a lot of emojis,” Betty reported as they sat down at their usual table after class with pastries and large cups of coffee.

“Happy ones, I hope?” Jughead said, nodding approvingly when Betty turned her phone toward him to show the series of multi-colored hearts on her screen.

“So,” Betty said, clearing her throat. “What’s your schedule looking like this week?”

Jughead raised his eyebrows at the playful glint in Betty’s eye. “You’re not trying to create some detailed work schedule for our partner project, are you?”

Betty shook her head furiously. “Oh, please, I know I don’t have to pull my usual shit with you. We’ll work on it a little tonight.”

Jughead laughed at her words, remembering some of their earlier conversations about group project work back when they were just getting to know each other. 

“Well,” Jughead said, scanning his phone calendar.“I have Sunday free this week, actually.” He looked up to meet her eyes. “What am I free for?”

A grin split across Betty’s face. “I was hoping to start showing you some of my favorite smoke spots in the city.” She paused to take a breath. “If you want.”

“Of course I do,” Jughead said, reaching forward and clasping Betty’s hand with his own. “That sounds like an amazing way to spend a day off.”

“Good,” Betty said, beaming as he pulled back and took another sip of coffee. “They gave me an opening shift this Sunday but I can easily swap to get that day off too. One of my friends owes me.”

“Where are we going first?” Jughead asked. “Or is this another one of your surprises?”

Betty tapped her chin, considering her options. “I’ll get back to you on that one.”

“Devious woman,” Jughead said, smirking at the gorgeous creature seated across from him.

Betty winked at him, taking another sip of her coffee, the wheels in her head already turning.

\---

That evening, they holed themselves up in Betty’s room: first with the excuse of needing to get work done on their partner project for class, which they diligently started over containers of Chinese takeout; then just because they wanted, needed, to be alone together.

They fell naturally into a comfortable rhythm, just smoking and listening to music in her room. For awhile they sat side by side, propped up in bed, Betty reading a book while Jughead typed away on his laptop beside her. Jughead found he sort of enjoyed writing high. Way more than he thought he would. His fingers traveled quickly across the keys as he solved a problem in his chapter he’d been mulling over for a couple days.

Jughead took a pause to watch Betty, so engrossed in her story that she didn’t even notice Jughead staring. He felt a pang in his chest, to be coexisting with Betty like this. A pang of belonging. This feeling he’d never had access to before his path had crossed with Betty’s.

And he was still discovering new things he loved about Betty every day. Like, when it was just the two of them she danced around while grinding up weed or even with the bong in her hand, rocking her hips flirtatiously between hits or goofily rotating her grinder in tune with the song. All while Jughead laughed, the kind of freeing laugh that overtook his body and made him forget about everything else except being here, in this moment, with this person. 

\---

It was at a lull in conversation that Betty got it into her head that she wanted to make Jughead feel good the way he’d made her feel the other day.

It only took thirty seconds of Betty watching Jughead, letting her eyes trail slowly and hungrily up his torso, until Jughead flicked his eyes up to meet hers. He smirked, immediately registering Betty’s heated gaze.

Before either of them knew it, they were on each other, hands frantically reaching and touching and caressing. 

All the worries Jughead had once harbored about not knowing what to do when he and Betty were together were unfounded yet again. Toni had once told him that everything with she and Cheryl had come so naturally to her that she hadn’t even had a moment to overthink it if she’d wanted to. At the time it’d made Jughead snort and shake his head, chalking it up to another so-called “universal” experience he would never have. But now, he understood.

Betty’s hands threaded through Jughead’s hair at the same time her legs wrapped around him. He pulled her closer, snaking his arms possessively around her frame as he deepened the kiss. Betty let out a low moan and felt Jughead smile into the kiss, further spurring her on toward her original mission.

He pulled his face back slightly, their panting breaths still mingling. “This feels even better when we’re stoned,” he murmured. “How is that possible?”

Betty shrugged, whispering almost into his mouth, “It’s a magic we have access to. Don’t question it, get lost in it.”

She closed the slight gap between them and captured his mouth as Jughead smiled again into their kiss. They made out hungrily, all lips and tongues and heavy breathing, and Jughead felt again like he was floating in the best possible way. Betty’s hands found purchase on his chin as she pulled her mouth back and began trailing soft kisses down Jughead’s neck.

She looked up at him and found his head thrown back. She nipped at the side of his neck and he groaned, looking up at Betty with a heated gaze matching her own.

“Can I...touch you?” she whispered, ghosting her fingers across his collarbone, silently asking to move further south.

Jughead gulped but nodded, barely hesitating. He was so turned on and curious, totally willing to give himself over to Betty.

“I want to make you feel good,” Betty whispered as she removed her legs from around Jughead and tugged at the bottom of his shirt with her hands. He quickly removed it, holding eye contact with Betty as she bit her lip.

“Take these off too?” she whispered, fingering his jeans.

Jughead nodded and obediently followed, unzipping his tented pants and slipping them down at the same time Betty quickly pulled her own shirt and skirt off to even the score. They both laughed as he struggled to kick one of his pant legs off, Betty reaching for his face to give him a sound kiss as he finally freed himself of his jeans.

She gently pushed Jughead back on the bed so she was hovering over him. “Do you trust me?” she whispered.

“More than I ever thought possible,” he whispered back, reaching up to kiss her.

With that, she pushed him back down and continued her tongue’s assault, laving kisses down his chest, moving closer, closer, closer to where she wanted him. She finally cupped his dick over his pants as he gasped.

“Good?” Betty quietly checked.

“God, yes,” Jughead choked out, his eyes closed.

“Can I...remove these?” she whispered, her fingers gently nudging the top of his red plaid boxers.

He nodded, leaning up on his elbows a bit to watch her as she tugged his boxers down his legs and off with such care.

Betty reached for his dick, cupping it again tenderly. Jughead gasped at the sensation of her soft skin on him. She gripped him firmly and gave an experimental stroke, smirking when Jughead moaned her name in response.

“That feel good?” Betty whispered.

“Too good,” he croaked back as she continued stroking him with more confidence. “I’m not gonna last long.”

“Well then,” Betty said, her voice authoritative in that way Jughead found incredibly hot. “I guess we’ll have to make it count.”

She brought her mouth level with his dick, licking his shaft slowly as he groaned. “Fuck,” he said, grabbing onto one of Betty’s thighs, the first thing he could grasp onto to steady him.

“Let yourself go,” she whispered before taking him completely in her mouth.

It was an entirely new sensation and Jughead closed his eyes in ecstasy before realizing he wanted, needed to see this. He opened his eyes to take in the sight of Betty, eyes closed, sucking and stroking him enthusiastically. Her blonde hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail, messy after their hours of fooling around and cuddling in bed. The sight coupled with the new sensation of her warm mouth around his dick was too much.

“I’m gonna…” he managed to get out before he released into her mouth.

She didn’t seem surprised, swallowing daintily and wiping across her lips with the back of her hand, beaming at Jughead as he panted below her on the bed.

“Are you real?” Jughead practically croaked out, still lying flat on his back. Never in his life had he known it could feel like that to be with someone.

“I know, I know, I barely have a gag reflex. Believe me, Moose and Kevin added that one to the ‘Betty is good at everything’ list a long time ago.”

Jughead practically choked on his spit laughing once he finally put that one together, only a few seconds late to his incredibly uncool credit.

Betty reached forward to kiss him and he wrapped his hands gently around her neck, gripping her as he deepened the kiss, trying to transfer everything he was feeling into it.

Jughead briefly left the bed to clean himself up, returning and laying beside Betty, who was full on her back looking up thoughtfully at the glow and the dark stars on her ceiling. A couple minutes passed with the two of them simply being there with each other, legs tangled up as they took in the quiet of the moment and the first they’d just shared.

Eventually Betty craved a hit off the bowl she knew was half-smoked mere feet away. She moved as if to get up and grab it off her bedside table, but Jughead placed a firm yet gentle hand on her arm, holding her wordlessly in place.

“I want to make you come again,” he whispered.

He was about to add “if you want,” afraid of Betty’s silence. But she quickly blurted, “okay,” her voice laced with the same nervous excitement he felt. All thoughts of the bowl were instantaneously put on hold, Jughead’s touch and low whisper pinning Betty exactly where he wanted her.

He leaned forward to kiss her deeply. He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as she watched him through lidded eyes. “Okay,” he whispered back, reaching down to cup her breasts in each hand. Betty sucked in her breath in anticipation.

Jughead carefully unclasped her bra as Betty watched him. He made sure Betty’s eyes were locked on his when he tweaked at her nipple, causing her to gasp. “Fuck,” she whispered as he gently but firmly grabbed hold of one nipple with each hand, rubbing them between his fingers as she whined.

“Does that feel good?” Jughead whispered and Betty frantically nodded.

“Yes,” she gasped out.

Jughead released one of her nipples and let his tongue swirl around the hard peak instead. Betty bucked her hips wildly in response, moaning. Jughead continued rubbing her other nipple between his thumb and pinched it harder, eliciting another sharp gasp from Betty. He was mesmerized, further motivated to try out something new every time he got a reaction from her. 

He let her nipple go, continuing his tongue’s assault on one breast as he let his hand trail down her stomach to tug on the top of her underwear. He looked up to lock eyes with Betty, who was watching him with the same nervous excitement he’d seen in her before. Once again, they were approaching uncharted territory. 

“Do you want me to touch you?” Jughead whispered, not wanting to go too far.

But without a moment’s hesitation Betty was nodding and reaching for Jughead’s hand with her own, guiding it into her light pink panties and then, before he knew it, into her folds. 

Jughead sucked in a breath. “You’re so wet.” 

The awe in his voice turned Betty on. She clenched her thighs together, wanting him to touch her, to go deeper, to do anything. “All for you,” Betty purred back instead, watching him closely to see what he would do next.

Jughead’s eyes darkened at her response as he licked his lips and continued exploring her slick folds. He found her clit quickly, rubbing as Betty moaned, tilting her head back. 

“That’s it,” she whispered. 

“You like that?” he whispered back, leaning down to lick at her breast while continuing to rub at her clit. 

Betty gasped at the sensation, looking up at him seductively. “Do that again,” she whispered.

He pulled his fingers out of her underwear and hooked his fingers through each end of her panties, pulling them down completely as Betty whined in aroused frustration. Jughead kissed her deeply, silencing her as they pushed and pulled at each other, all mouths and tongues and moans.

Jughead slowly crept back from the kiss and lifted Betty in his arms. Betty let out a half giggle-half shriek as he placed her into his lap and buried his face between her breasts at the same time he plunged a finger experimentally inside her. 

Betty cried out, tugging at Jughead’s hair and thrusting involuntarily on his fingers as he started fingering her a little more confidently, to Betty’s outspoken pleasure.

Jughead licked at Betty’s breasts as he continued his relentless pumping. He had never felt so turned on his life, so lost in Betty. She was so beautiful, every part of her. Hearing her come undone and get lost in pleasure was an activity to which he was quickly becoming more and more addicted.

“Jug,” Betty gasped, tightening around his fingers as she felt herself starting to come. Jughead worked her through it, continuing to stroke her, both of them panting as she maintained her grip on him and cried out. 

“That was amazing,” she breathed, finally letting go of him as Jughead held his fingers away from the sheets and kissed Betty on the cheek before excusing himself for the bathroom.

Betty followed, throwing on her top to wait outside the bathroom and give him a sweet kiss on the mouth before going in to pee herself. She smiled when she opened the door to her bedroom to find Jughead waiting for her in bed. She could really get used to this.

He held the blanket out for her, and she practically dove in, letting Jughead’s arm wrap around her as she settled in. “How did you figure out what you were doing so quickly?” Betty whispered into his chest.

Jughead let out a soft laugh. “You’re a good teacher,” he tried.

“Well, then you’re a fast learner,” Betty countered, nuzzling into his chest. 

Jughead sighed in contentment. “Can’t argue with that one.”

They settled into a comfortable silence, letting it hover over them. Betty turned to look at him, studying his jawline and intensely blue eyes, never able to get enough of his handsome face. Jughead turned to meet her gaze. “You watching me?” he asked softly, emotional when he noticed the flush that had overwhelmed Betty’s face.

She was glowing, and it was because of him. He did that, and he’d never felt so proud. He leaned over to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead and she grinned, taking her hand and placing it on his chest. “As cute as this is, I think I need one more bowl before sleep,” Betty said, moving to sit up.

Jughead smiled. Some things about Betty would never change, and it was one of the things he liked most about her. 

He leaned back onto his elbows as she reached for her bowl and grinder. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an enigma?”

She shook her head. “I think I’ve heard that one before,” she said, grinning.

“Ever smoked weed before?” she joked after taking a deep hit. She coughed, grabbing her water glass off her bedside table and sipping generously before offering Jughead the pipe.

Jughead had to sit up more to accept the bowl and he smiled at Betty’s content face and lidded eyes. “This really cute girl recently showed me how,” he finally replied before kissing the bowl with his lips and sucking in. As he concentrated on holding the smoke in his mouth, Jughead listened to Betty’s carrying laugh. He wanted to keep it. Record it and play it back over and over again, so he could always remember how good he’d felt in this moment. 

Jughead finally exhaled, watching the white smoke float across Betty’s room. He was still new to this, but he wondered if watching the smoke exit your mouth ever got old for everyone else. Jughead was having trouble imagining that simple magic wearing off for him any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to thank James Blake and his fucking amazing most recent album “Assume Form” for bringing me to the finish line of this chapter. Go listen to it if you want to bless your ears. Let me know what you thought, your comments really keep me going. Until next time, XOXO Maria


	12. July 20 - 22, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which: Betty and Jughead can’t keep their hands off each other and Betty opens up to Jughead about her past in one of her oldest Boston smoke spots. Oh, and Jughead learns some essential weed circle etiquette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s finally here!!! I have a nasty (or good?) habit of outlining really ambitious chapters and the universe has a nasty habit lately of fucking with me and seemingly all my loved ones, so thank you for your patience. I’m excited about where this story is headed and am so grateful to have readers along for this ride with me. 
> 
> As you can see, I’ve added some new tags. As Betty and Jughead get closer over the next few chapters, they begin opening up more about their pasts that have led to them both being estranged from their parents. Wanted to make sure everyone was aware there will be mentions of toxic parents, emotional abuse, drug addiction, and alcoholism - all has so far been hinted at, but will be talked about more in-depth. I’ll add more if they come up. Feel free to message me on Tumblr at stonerbughead if you think I’m missing a tag! I want to make sure everything is properly tagged for my readers. Also, there’s some subtle Archie/Valerie in this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy, and drop a comment if you liked it! Love hearing from y’all.
> 
> XOXO,  
> Maria

**Friday, July 20**

_On Thursday, Cheryl decreed the need for a Betty-Cheryl-Kevin sleepover. It was at the end of Betty and Cheryl’s Chinese-takeout-and-teen-drama night, which had been interrupted a record fifteen times by text messages from Jughead that Betty immediately rushed to answer as Cheryl watched her best friend’s face transform before her eyes, flushed and giddy and…_

_“Happy.” That was how Cheryl had described it to Toni over the phone. “They just really seem happy.”_

_“I know! I’m so happy for them,” Toni said._

_“I’m happy for them, sure,” Cheryl said. “But I’m equally as desperate for details.”_

_Toni laughed. “You’re so crazy. I love you.”_

_Cheryl giggled. “I love you too.”_

_“So, is this your way of telling me you’re kidnapping Betty tomorrow night?”_

_“You know me too well, TT,” Cheryl said, pausing to take a hit off her bong. “But you have an assignment too.”_

_“I can’t interrogate Jughead!”_

_“Who said anything about interrogating him? Take him out to one of your friend dinners,” Cheryl breathed out another hit, already ready to move on to another topic of conversation._

_“It has been way too long since we had one of those…” Toni said. “Good idea, babe.”_

_“Thanks, love! Now, about Saturday night, though…”_

And that was how Betty ended up sitting cross-legged on Cheryl’s bedroom floor in light pink satin pajamas, sandwiched between Cheryl in matching red and Kevin in blue.

They’d already hand-picked a selection of rom-coms from Betty and Cheryl’s impressive DVD collection, so _Legally Blonde_ was playing in the background as they passed Madame, Cheryl’s bedroom bong, back and forth. (Madame was an elaborate, expensive piece in the shape of a cherry she’d purchased from a rad woman glass artist the summer before. It rarely, if ever, left the safety of Cheryl’s bedroom.)

Cheryl passed the bong back to Kevin as they all laughed at a young Reese Witherspoon’s antics. Kevin breathed out a long, slow hit and ashed the finished bowl in Cheryl’s equally elaborate and cherry-shaped ceramic ashtray.

As he unscrewed the grinder to pack the bowl, Betty didn’t miss the subtle look Kevin exchanged with Cheryl. She bit her lip to try to keep from smiling, internally giggling at the loveable predictability of her closest friends.

Cheryl immediately took her cue, turning to Betty. “Okay, Betty, we’re ready.”

Betty made a show of clutching her hand to her chest. “Who, me? What are we ready for?”

“Don’t be coy, B,” Cheryl said in a no-nonsense tone. “We’ve given you space during the initial phase of this romance, but we are simply dying for details.”

“ _Dying_ ,” Kevin emphasized, presenting the freshly-packed bowl to Betty. “We’ll give you greens on this bowl to sweeten the deal.”

“Well, in that case,” Betty said, laughing and accepting the bong. “I accept your offer.”

Kevin and Cheryl watched Betty take her time with her first hit. She let her eyes float closed as she held in the smoke and breathed out, the cloud filling the air above their heads.

“Okay,” she said, coughing a little, the big hit making her eyes feel pleasantly more relaxed. Betty passed the piece to Cheryl. “You two are in luck because I’m actually dying to gush about Jughead.”

Kevin squealed, clapping his hands together. “He’s been keeping you all to himself lately, which is a good sign.”

Betty sighed in contentment, thinking of the many hours they’d shared together in recent weeks. “Such a good sign,” she said. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I just feel like we understand each other in a way that no one has ever understood me before.”

Cheryl shot Betty a jealous look as she passed the bong to Kevin.

“I mean, for a romantic interest,” Betty quickly added, patting Cheryl briefly on the back. “He listens and pays attention and notices in a way I’ve only felt with like, Polly, and you guys.”

“Sounds like a keeper,” Kevin said, nodding enthusiastically.

“How’s the sexy stuff?” Cheryl asked.

“Damn, let her ease into it, Cheryl!” Kevin said.

“Wow, who suddenly has boundaries? Did you not try to ask our friend’s demisexual boyfriend if he was open to a threesome in front of everyone the other night?”

Kevin looked embarrassed, turning to Betty. “Cheryl and Toni educated me on the whole demisexual thing the next day, Betty. I’ve been meaning to apologize to both of you.”

Betty laughed, giving him a hug. “No worries, Kev, but I appreciate it. The sexy stuff has been...amazing. So, so amazing. We’re taking it at a pace that feels right and kind of learning what each other likes together. We haven’t like, done _it_ yet, but we’ve rounded a few bases. He’s the first partner I’ve ever felt this compatible with. And we communicate so well...it’s just, I never knew it could be like this.”

Cheryl beamed at Betty. “You sound like me when Toni and I first became official,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Do I?” Betty asked, thinking back on a Cheryl who had been unable to stop humming love songs and waxing poetic about Toni.

“Yes,” Kevin and Cheryl said in unison.

“I’m constantly thinking about him and when I can see him again,” Betty admitted, accepting the bong as it came back around.

“It sounds like you’re...falling in love,” Cheryl said tentatively.

Betty blushed, a nervous tingle in her stomach as she passed the bong off. She’d never been in love with...anyone. She shook her head. “Isn’t it too early for that?”

Kevin shrugged while Cheryl shook her head indignantly. “You’ll see,” she said. “One day it’ll hit you and you’ll know.”

Betty sat with the thought for a second, watching Kevin take a hit off the bong. 

“You know who I hope is _not_ falling love?” Cheryl said, changing the subject, to Betty’s appreciation.

“Josie and her new boo?” Kevin guessed, handing Cheryl the bowl to ash.

“Yes!” Cheryl shrieked and all three of them laughed.

“Is this the guy she brought along the other night while Jughead and I were on the back porch?” Betty asked.

“The asshole Toni interrupted your makeout sesh to escape?” Cheryl asked, laughing as Betty’s cheeks turned scarlet again. “Yep, that’s him.”

Betty groaned. “What kind of asshole this time?”

“Shitty, condescending Berklee kid,” Kevin said. “He cared about his Instagram too much for even me.”

Betty gasped. “Okay, that’s really saying something. Let’s hope it’s just another of Josie’s flings.”

“And that we don’t have to go to any of his concerts,” Cheryl added. “Toni and I looked up his music yesterday and it only made him worse.”

“Okay, now we have to listen!” Kevin shrieked, getting up to grab Cheryl’s laptop.

As he typed in Cheryl’s password to her protests, he began loudly talking about the guy he’d hooked up with the week before, which then devolved into laughter and ear-covering over the Berklee boy’s terrible music. Another bowl was packed and the conversation faded into gushing about the restaurant Cheryl had taken Toni to and before she knew it, Betty was relaxing into an amazing night with her friends.

As Betty ground up fresh nug for the next bowl, she took a glance at her phone, her face lighting up when she spotted a notification from Jughead.

JUGHEAD: Headed out to my dinner! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow night :)

BETTY: Have so much fun! Miss you xo

Kevin and Cheryl’s laughter mingled with the rom-com as Betty breathed in the smell of a freshly ground sativa. For a moment, she thought, _life is goin’ okay._

\---

Jughead smiled one last time at his phone as he set it back down on the sticky, red-and-white checkered tablecloth at the Allston Regina Pizzeria.

Across the table, Toni smirked at Jughead. “How’s Betty doing?” she asked slyly.

Fangs clapped Jughead on the back and Sweet Pea grinned from beside Toni. Jughead looked incredulously at all of them. “Oh, so is that what this friend dinner is all about? Getting dirt on me and Betty?”

“You’re not entirely wrong,” Fangs said, which earned him betrayed looks from both Sweet Pea and Toni.

“Fangs!” Toni gasped.

Jughead let out a deep, bellowing laugh. “I love you guys,” he said.

They all paused as the waiter came back with their drinks and they put in their usual food order.

“I’m so excited for this pizza,” Sweet Pea said, taking a generous swig of beer.

A silence ensued, all of them tentatively looking at Jughead as they nursed their drinks and Jughead’s hands idly played with the condensation on his water glass.

“Things are going really good,” Jughead finally said, his voice stumbling a little in that way it did after not talking to anyone for awhile.

They all smiled, watching him encouragingly, afraid to break whatever spell had Jughead opening up to them.

“We just connect in this seamless way,” he said, looking thoughtfully into the distance. “She’s already made my life so much better in the short time we’ve been dating.” He finally allowed himself to look up at his friends. “I finally get what you’ve been raving about all this time. It’s nice having someone you can’t wait to see.”

A huge grin split across Toni’s face. “I’m so happy for you, Jug,” she said. She reached for his hand across the table and squeezed it and the two old friends shared a smile.

“Thanks for all your advice, seriously,” Jughead said, sighing as Toni released his hand. “It’s been hard for me to talk about this stuff. But you’re all always there for me, and it means a lot. If I don’t say it enough.”

“You don’t have to, bud,” Fangs said, putting his arm around Jughead’s shoulder. “We know. And we’re really happy for you.”

Sweet Pea nodded enthusiastically. “Love you, man. And Betty. You guys are such a perfect match.”

A nervous look creeped on Toni’s face. “Let us know if you ever need advice about...other stuff.”

Jughead blushed, shaking his head. “I actually think Betty and I are doing pretty well on our own,” he said. “But I am following the best piece of advice I ever overheard Toni tell you two,” he said, pointing his fingers at Fangs and Sweet Pea.

Toni beamed as Fangs and Sweet Pea both appeared confused. “What advice?” Sweet Pea finally said, vocalizing the look across both their faces.

“To communicate with your partner about what she likes and the rest will figure itself out,” Jughead answered without missing a beat.

Toni gave Jughead a solid high-five.

Sweet Pea turned red. “Wow, I forgot about that one…”

Jughead raised his eyebrows. “Maybe you should remember it.”

By the time the waiter returned with their two pizzas, the four friends were teasing each other and cracking up, heads thrown back in laughter, just like it had always been.

  
  
  


****

**Saturday, July 21**

Sitting at his desk typing away at his novel on a Saturday evening felt like old-school Jughead in a way that was oddly comforting. It reminded him of many nights when he had been secure enough in himself to find some solace in the continuous rhythm of his fingers against the keys. More comforting, though, was the quiet knowledge that the day would still end in Betty’s arms, rather than tossing and turning in bed until streaks of golden morning light peeked through the blinds. 

_Life is definitely different now,_ Jughead thought. He sipped the cup of coffee he’d made after hitting a block an hour into his writing sesh. Jughead had a long night ahead of him. Betty was closing at Urban, which typically meant not leaving the store until at least midnight, given the amount of cleaning the staff was left to do after a full day’s-worth of tourists wreaked havoc on the racks and displays.

But since Betty was taking him on a still-secret adventure the next day (and they were impatient to see one another) they’d resolved for Betty to pick Jughead up on her way home from work. In the meantime, Jughead was excited to make some much-needed progress on his writing. As much as he loved the increased frequency with which he and Betty had been seeing each other, he’d definitely fallen behind on his writing since they’d started dating and he’d subsequently started smoking and...actually sleeping.

Jughead took another sip of coffee, letting his mind wander to the feeling of falling asleep next to Betty, a little stoned and wrapped up in each other’s warmth, of the peaceful quiet that fell over him as they lay in the dark. He glanced back at his screen, the latest chapter of his novel open, that floating little vertical line taunting him to just write the next word.

It hit him what he needed to do. He downed the rest of his coffee and stretched his hands out across his laptop. Definitively closing his chapter for the time being, Jughead’s cursor landed instead on his other most recently opened document: the undefined pages and pages of words he’d written since May, pouring worries and hopes and dreams into a clumsily titled Word document: “betty?”

The words cascaded out of him, like they always did. He gave himself over to it, not questioning any of the words, even when they sounded clunky. _Writing is all in the editing or something like that_ , Jughead thought to himself, letting out a snort as the face of one of his more irritating writing professors swam to the front of his mind. He shook the image from his head and thought only of Betty as his fingers continued to fly across the keys.

\---

Betty felt a familiar tingle in her stomach as she turned the corner onto Jughead’s street, quickening her pace as she got closer to being reunited with him after what felt like forever but in reality had been only two days.

So concentrated on getting to Jughead, Betty practically ran into Sweet Pea, who had just arrived from the opposite direction. Sweet Pea reached out a hand to steady her so they wouldn’t collide and Betty laughed.

“Hey, Sweet Pea,” she said, giving him a half hug as they both laughed. “Sorry, I was distracted.”

“Excited to see Jug?” Sweet Pea guessed in a teasing tone, a knowing look in his eyes as he swung his keys around in his hand.

Betty blushed. “Something like that.”

Sweet Pea shook his head, smiling. “You two are nauseatingly cute. Come on, I’ll let you in to see our brooding writer boy.”

Inside the apartment, Sweet Pea saluted Betty as he continued walking to the kitchen. Betty paused outside Jughead’s closed door, the muffled sound of old James Blake putting a smile on Betty’s face. _This is definitely writing music,_ she thought to herself, delighted to have caught him in the act.

Betty lifted her hand and rapped lightly on the door.

“Come in,” Jughead said distractedly.

Betty slowly opened the door. The room was dark, lit only by Jughead’s desk lamp and laptop screen as he typed and typed, his back still turned to her.

“Give me one sec, Sweets,” Jughead said, holding a single finger behind his back while continuing to type one-handed to finish his sentence.

Betty stopped in her tracks, amused. Jughead finally turned, his face lighting up when he realized it was Betty. Betty’s breath nearly caught in her throat at the way he was looking at her, hungrily taking her in, from her flowing, lacy white dress to her slightly messy ponytail.

“Sweet Pea let me in,” she murmured, in turn taking in his unkempt hair, lopsided beanie, and slightly wrinkly blue S t-shirt. Adorable.

He turned around in his chair, still watching her, and Betty came to stand between his legs at the desk, framing his face with her hands as she leaned down to kiss him. Betty’s eyes floated open as she tried to sneak a peek at Jughead’s laptop screen but he was too quick for her, his hand already working to sneakily shut the laptop while the other grabbed her face and deepened the kiss.

Betty moaned as Jughead pulled her down into his lap.

“Not quite yet, babe,” he whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

She nodded. “Okay,” she said softly, ghosting her fingers across his chin.

Jughead smiled at her touch and let his hands wander down to brush across her ass as she smirked. “Let me get my stuff together and we can go.”

\---

Betty and Jughead walked hand-in-hand down the Allston streets, a necessity as they navigated around groups of stumbling drunk girls in tight skirts and disheveled crustpunk kids crushing cans of ‘Gansett.

“Some days I truly wonder why we live in this trash heap,” Betty said, wincing as Jughead helped her circumvent a puddle of vomit.

“Okay, well, how about a heartwarming Allston story I witnessed at work yesterday?” Jughead offered, nodding enthusiastically at Betty’s incredulous look. “Don’t give me that look, Betty, it actually happened.”

Betty laughed. “Okay, then, I need to hear it to believe it. Please do tell.”

“Okay, so this regular who’s always around the shop? He’s a plaid shirt-wearing dude, you know the type, black cutoffs, hangs out at Great Scott with 22-year-olds but is like, 28? And it’s like, dude, why are you still in Allston?” Jughead rambled and Betty nodded.

“I can picture exactly who you’re talking about,” she said, grinning.

“He was sitting at a table drinking his coffee and reading a newspaper when this other guy who fits his profile walked in,” Jughead explained.

“Ooh, showdown. This Allston coffee shop ain’t big enough for the two of us,” Betty joked and Jughead laughed heartily.

“Exactly, that’s honestly what I thought was gonna happen. I was watching them look at each other, and then there was just...this look of recognition in both their eyes,” Jughead said.

Betty laughed. “Oh, of course, they knew each other. Probably longtime archenemies in the Allston community.”

“No, see, that’s the heartwarming part of the story. It took them a couple minutes but they finally figured it out. They’d played in the same unsuccessful punk band at basement house shows _four years ago_!”

Betty clutched her chest, laughing. “That’s the heartwarming part, really?”

“Yes, Betty,” Jughead said, squeezing her hand. “This is pure human connection we’re talking about. Who would’ve thought that two boring white dudes who once played in a shitty band together would find each other again in an Allston coffee shop? And that I would be there to witness that seminal moment?”

Betty burst out laughing, then turned serious. “Thanks for cheering me up.” She played with his hands, biting her lip as she looked at him seductively.

“Any time,” he murmured, watching her lips. His eyes darkened and they quickened the pace, neither of them saying much as they unlocked the door and hurried immediately to Betty’s room.

When they finally closed the bedroom door behind them, Jughead picked Betty up. She gasped as Jughead kissed her deeply, letting her arms wrap around his neck and her head fall back against the door as they made out.

“That’s so hot,” Betty panted, letting her head fall back a little too hard and hitting her head. “Ow. And apparently I’m too clumsy for something that hot,” she said, laughing.

Jughead laughed too, rubbing the top of her head before tenderly kissing it. He carried Betty over to her bed and they fell onto it together, Jughead pulling his shirt over his head and Betty stepping out of her dress, before coming together again at the lips, arms around each other.

“I missed you,” Betty murmured, pulling back as Jughead trailed kisses along her jawline.

“Missed you too,” he whispered back, leaning down to drop soft kisses on the side of her neck as he cupped her tits in his hands and let his thumbs brush across her nipples.

Betty moaned. “Jug,” she gasped, placing her finger under his chin and tipping his mouth to hers, their tongues mingling as he continued to tweak at her nipples. 

Betty let her hand wander to the top of his jeans, tugging at the belt as she felt Jughead hardening under her touch. She smiled into the kiss before pulling back slightly. “Is this good?”

Jughead answered by capturing her mouth in a kiss and moving to help Betty undo his belt, tugging his pants down. Betty guided his hands back down her panties before continuing her journey down his boxers and cupping his dick. Jughead grazed over her clit as Betty pumped him and they leaned across the bed to make out, moaning into each other’s mouths. 

They both panted after coming, laying side by side on their backs in bed. “We need to smoke a bowl,” Jughead finally gasped out.

Betty giggled before pumping her fist in the air. “You’re becoming more and more of a stoner every day.” She placed her hand across her bare chest. “Makes me proud,” she said. 

Jughead laughed, swatting one of her boobs with his hand. “Okay, Weed Elder,” he said mockingly and she laughed, teasingly nipping at his chin in retaliation.

It took them another five minutes to finally get around to packing a bowl. But two indica bowls later, they floated to sleep curled around each other.

  
  
  


**Sunday, July 22**

Jughead half-opened his eyes groggily and groaned aloud when he reached for Betty’s body to hit nothing but air. He had quickly become used to waking up to the warmth of her. He opened his eyes again to find Betty sitting up next to him in bed, her back turned as she stooped over her nightstand. The smell of fresh weed filled the air. He leaned up a bit on his elbows and caught a glimpse of her putting the finishing touches on one of her legendary joints, before he found himself laying back down out of pure laziness. 

Betty turned at the movement, giving the paper one last lick as she sealed the joint up. Her eyes softened when she noticed he was awake.

“Oh, perfect. I was just about to wake you up,” Betty said, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead.

He smiled at the gesture. “Rolling up, Joint Master?”

“Just for you.” Betty stood to crack open a window before returning to her spot beside Jughead on the bed. They both sat themselves up, leaning back against the headboard. Betty grabbed her pink lighter and sparked the joint.

“So, what are we smoking this morning?” Jughead asked as he watched Betty inhale her first hit of the day.

She breathed out toward the window and passed the joint his way along with her ashtray. “Tangerine Cookies,” Betty answered, giving Jughead time to laugh at the strain names as he usually did. “Really good for a daytime high. So that we’re good and ready for our adventure.”

“We’re eating first, right?” Jughead asked after exhaling. He coughed a couple times, leaning over Betty to grab his water glass off the bed.

She giggled, holding the joint high up above them both as Jughead’s hair tickled her face. “You like being on me, huh?” she teased as he finished gulping his water and returned to his usual spot.

Jughead laughed, giving her a soft kiss. “Any time you want, baby.”

She giggled again, finally taking a couple more hits off the joint. “But to answer your question, yes. What’s a wake-and-bake without breakfast?”

“Brighton Cafe?”

“Our new wake-and-bake spot, of course,” Betty said, tapping his shoulder with her own and grinning.

“Good,” Jughead said, their eyes meeting as they both quietly tingled with joy at the new routine, this new thing they could call just their own. 

Betty put some music on and for the rest of the joint, danced around her room for Jughead when it was her turn to smoke, grabbing items to pack for their adventure as she went.

“You’re a great multitasker,” Jughead said from his perch on the side of Betty’s bed, taking a hit off the now-smoked-down joint. Betty danced over to him to the beat of one of her favorite lazy Sunday songs, “Follow My Girl” by The Japanese House. She was wearing only her bra and underwear as she got ready to go in the shower, grinning as she took a final hit off the little roach and put it out in the ashtray. 

“Good wake-and-bake?” she asked, wrapping her arms around Jughead’s neck and smiling at his half-lidded eyes and goofy grin.

“An exquisite joint,” he answered, playing with the hairs on the nape of Betty’s neck with his fingers as he suggestively checked her out. “Need company in the shower?” he asked casually. 

Betty’s cheeks burned at the suggestion. She’d never considered it but it sounded...nice. She seriously thought about it, whining a little as Jughead grazed soft kisses along her neck. But the possibility of Cheryl and Toni hearing them popped into her head, overpowering seduction for the time being.

“Maybe next time we get Cheryl to stay at your place,” she said, leaning down and giving him a long kiss.

Jughead pouted as she pulled back. “You’re right,” he said, watching her throw her towel over her arm and grab her shower caddy.

“You’re in the shower next, you naughty boy,” Betty said, blowing him a kiss before carefully closing the door behind her.

Jughead lay back on the bed, thinking of anything but Betty as he willed his erection to go away. How was it possible that Betty could turn him on by doing so little? 

A few minutes later, finally ready to stand up after getting his dick under control, Jughead wandered over to where he’d left his backpack next to Betty’s vanity. He took out his change of clothes, placing them on top of the pink towel and matching hand towel Betty had neatly folded and put out for him. He smiled at the small gesture and looked around Betty’s room, seeking something with which to distract himself from the thought of what Betty looked like in the shower at this moment.

He sat himself at Betty’s vanity, pulled in curiously by the four mason jars sitting in a neat row, each filled with various shapes and sizes of frosty green nug. Each jar was labeled with a strain name in Betty’s looping handwriting. Next to the jars was a glass tray decorated with a map of Paris, holding filters and joint tips, a red cherry-shaped tray he could only guess was a gift from Cheryl, filled to the brim with colored Bic lighters, and a stack of rolling papers in a few different sizes. _Weed Queen indeed,_ Jughead thought, mesmerized. He also noticed a Moleskine journal, the bookmark placed purposefully around the middle, with a pink gel pen resting delicately on top of it. He grinned. Betty was an enigma, and everything new he learned about her only made him like her more.

“You snooping?” Betty said, and Jughead practically jumped, so engrossed in his stoned daze that he hadn’t heard her come in.

He turned around, grinning cheekily when he saw Betty’s flushed face and the tight pink towel covering her otherwise-naked body. “You sure breakfast can’t wait?” he asked, approaching her. 

Betty smiled, accepting Jughead’s kiss and letting the towel fall as their arms came around each other. Jughead dared to let his hands travel south, cupping her boobs as she moaned into his mouth. “We have things to do,” she whispered, leaning back only a few inches so her breath landed hot on his neck.

He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of a clean Betty. “Fair point,” he croaked, looking down at his erection.

Betty laughed, following his eyes to the tent in his boxers. “Take care of that in the shower,” she said, maintaining eye contact before giving him a kiss on the cheek and walking past him toward the closet. She sighed and stared at her clothes.

Jughead sighed in defeat too, gathering up his towel and clothes. “Later?” he asked, looking back, the door half-open.

Betty turned around and smiled at him. “Definitely later,” she promised, winking.

When Jughead returned from the shower ten minutes later, Betty was fully dressed in a floral tank top and high-waisted jean shorts, throwing weed items into her backpack. “You take quick showers,” she noted, smiling at him as he tossed the towel into her hamper.

“When I’m hungry and stoned, apparently, yes,” Jughead said, giving her a quick kiss. 

“Snacks from the kitchen and we’re on our way.”

In the kitchen, Betty threw a few things into her backpack before grabbing Cheryl’s key off the hook. Jughead shot her a questioning look.

“Cheryl said we could take her car,” Betty explained, holding the front door open for him. “We just need to pick her up from work later.”

“Ah, there’s a catch.”

“With Cheryl? Always.”

\---

As he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and smiled down in adoration at the mere $20 they’d spent at this sacred place, Jughead surveyed the diner feast they’d expertly and swiftly demolished. Wake-and-bake dates at Brighton Cafe were quickly becoming some of Jughead’s favorites with Betty. Both had been a little goofy and flirtatious while they stirred their coffee and waited for their orders to come, then studiously wolfed down their food when it arrived on the table, in a mutual understanding of stoned silence.

Jughead tossed a $5 bill on top of his $20, tapping his foot and taking a last swig of his coffee as he waited for Betty to finish up in the bathroom. He glanced at the stuffed backpack she’d left on her seat and wondered again where Betty was taking them.

Betty returned to the table and drank the remnants of her coffee, glancing down at the billfold. 

“On me,” Jughead assured her, and she smiled.

“What a gentleman,” she cooed. “Ready to hit the road, stud?”

“I was born ready, Betts.”

\---

“Okay, I’ll tell you where we’re going,” Betty said once they were back behind the wheel, her hand hovering over the gear shift before she decided better of it and placed her hands in her lap instead. “We’re going to the beach.”

“Which one?” Jughead asked, excited.

Betty beamed when she realized Jughead was into the idea. Considering how angsty and broody he could be, Betty figured she had a 50-50 shot of winning with the beach.

“You know like, Carson Beach and M Street Beach down in Southie?” Betty asked, blushing when she immediately remembered that Jughead was the one from Boston. “What am I talking about, of course you do.”

Jughead smiled. “We used to take a couple buses to get there in the summer,” he admitted. “But it’s been a long time since I’ve been. Like, maybe a decade.”

“Cheryl and I started going there back when we lived on campus and realized we could just hop on the red line to JFK/UMass and walk to the beach,” Betty explained bashfully.

“Yeah, it’s pretty great,” Jughead said, smiling. “No need to be embarrassed, I’m excited. I just wish I had a bathing suit.”

Betty continued to blush and then looked pointedly at the stuffed backpack sitting at Jughead’s feet in the passenger seat. “You do,” she said. “I may or may not have swiped your bathing suit while you were in the bathroom getting your toothbrush last night.”

Jughead smirked, leaning forward and kissing her. “This is why I date you,” he said before pulling away and leaning back in the seat. “Sounds like a perfect day.” He pointed forward. “To the beach!”

Betty plugged in her phone, starting a song and winking at Jughead before starting the car. “This song reminds me of you,” she said casually as she started to pull out of the parking spot.

Jughead was pleasantly flushed. “Oh, really? I’ll have to listen real closely.”

The little screen on the radio in Cheryl’s fancyass car flashed: “Die Young / Sylvan Esso.”

_I was gonna die young_  
_Now I gotta wait for you, honey_

Betty stopped at a red light, dancing a little in her seat as Jughead watched her, captivated. He really digged this song.

“It’s good,” he said, resting his chin in his hand and watching Betty sing along and shoot him a smile before turning her eyes back on the road.

_Electric light_  
_So high, so wild_  
_It's not like I chose_  
_Not like I tried_  
_But now I gotta wait around and watch you burn so bright_

The song was happy, but it was also kind of sad. It was...real. He felt it deep in his bones, upbeat but calling out to him.

“You’re right,” he said to Betty as she drove, windows a little cracked so the wind whipped at her hair. 

“I usually am,” Betty joked. “What about this time?”

“Well, mostly right,” Jughead said, thinking to himself.

Betty raised her eyebrows, keeping her eyes on the road. “Okay, so what am I mostly right about, Jug?”

“About this song. It doesn’t just remind me of me. It reminds me of us.”

Betty tore her eyes away from the road for a brief second to stare at him, and Jughead saw a fleeting look of shock and adoration cross her face before she returned her gaze to the road. She cleared her throat, listening closely to the song as they continued along.

_I was gonna die young_  
_(I had it all planned out before you met me)_  
_Now I gotta wait for you, honey_  
_(I had a plan, you ruined it completely)_  


“You win this time, Jones,” she finally said, beaming.

It felt like they were driving directly into a welcoming pool of late morning light. As it shined through the windows and Betty bopped her head in time with the music, Jughead shut his eyes, bathing it all in.

\---

Parked in the lot along the beach, Betty pulled out a couple of the colorful tapestries they stored in Cheryl’s trunk.

“Do we have towels?” Jughead asked, squinting at the patterned fabric draped over Betty’s arm.

She patted her stuffed backpack. “Yessir.”

“How could I ever doubt you?” Jughead said, moving forward and framing Betty’s face as he leaned down to kiss her.

Betty smiled into the kiss as it deepened. The push and pull of their mouths moving together still felt so electric and new every time, even though Betty had long ago lost count of how many they’d shared in the weeks since they’d gotten together.

She finally pulled back to break the kiss while Jughead only held her tighter. “We’ll never make it on the beach at this rate,” she murmured.

(Indeed, they’d already wasted a good ten minutes fooling around in the backseat while they changed into their suits and rubbed sunscreen into each other’s backs, before realizing they were in Cheryl’s car and needed to behave themselves.)

“You’re right,” Jughead conceded, intertwining his fingers with Betty’s as they started to walk across the beach, sandals swinging from their other hands.

The sand was dotted with families pitching umbrellas and groups of teenagers drinking out of red cups. Betty was comforted by the sight of the bay rippling and sparkling in the not-so-far distance. The scene had all the trappings for a city Sunday on the beach.

“This place reminds me of so many good times with Cheryl,” Betty said wistfully as they trudged across the sand. “We got so used to coming here to get away from campus that we continued the tradition even after we moved to Allston. You know, for those times when we’re craving a drive as much as a smoke.”

“I get that,” Jughead said, squeezing her hand as they navigated around an already-drunk group of teenagers blasting music. “For me, this is all childhood memories,” he paused, feeling the dull pain in his gut that came whenever he started to remember those days. “My parents would take JB and me here, way back in the day.”

Betty looked sadly up at the matching expression on his face. “I hope it’s okay I brought you here?”

Jughead smiled down at her, internally pinching himself to be lucky enough to hold hands with someone as caring and observant as Betty. “No, it’s okay,” he said thoughtfully. “I like the notion that this place can become something new with you. Make some new memories, right?”

Betty grinned. “Very sentimental for a cynic like you.”

“What can I say? You bring out the romantic in me.”

“How about here?” Betty asked, bringing them both to a halt.

Jughead looked nervously at the group of fellow college kids a mere six feet from them. “Should we give ourselves a wider berth if we’re gonna smoke?”

Betty followed his eyeline and laughed. “Believe me, they’re gonna be smoking too. We’re good.”

“I trust you,” Jughead said, smiling.

He helped Betty unpack her bag, watching towels and books fall out. “To make sure our tapestry doesn’t fly away!” Betty explained as they spread out their tapestries and clamped them down with books.

“Okay, Hermione,” he said, shooting her a flirtatious grin as he pulled his shirt off, feeling hot under the sun.

Betty ogled him appreciatively as she pulled her own top off to reveal her black-and-white polka dot bikini. “Sure you don’t want to just head back?” Jughead joked, taking her in.

Betty laughed, sitting down on the tapestry and patting the space beside her as Jughead came to join her. “You’re a smooth talker all of a sudden,” she said, pulling a joint canister out of a front pocket in her backpack.

“I’m a writer, Betts,” Jughead countered. “I was just waiting for a proper muse.”

Betty giggled, leaning forward to kiss him soundly. “Joint time?” she asked, sliding a perfectly-rolled J out of the little plastic tube.

Jughead took it from her, holding it in the palm of his hand to admire her handiwork. “When do you find the time?”

“While you were in the shower!” Betty insisted, taking the joint back and flicking her pink lighter. She struggled a bit to light up as an extra gust of wind blew off the water. 

“Make a house!” Betty shrieked to Jughead’s puzzled face. She sighed and then began frantically ranting: “Translation: make a house with your hands around the end of this joint while I try to spark it to keep the flame from going out in the cruel Boston winds.”

Jughead chuckled at that, cupping his hands around the joint as Betty tried lighting the joint for a third time. It finally caught and Betty puffed, exhaling and letting the relaxation course through her. Here, on the beach, getting a little stoned, Betty always felt safe.

She passed the joint to Jughead, grinning at him in her euphoria. “That’s a true stoner rite of passage. Experiencing the eternal struggle of trying to light up on the beach. Or, honestly, anywhere in this windyass city.” Betty watched Jughead take his hit carefully.

Jughead laughed as he coughed out his hit. “You’re not wrong. I’ve felt like I was going to be blown away before in these streets.”

“By the way,” Betty said. She and Jughead’s fingers brushed as he handed her the joint and she noticed the questioning look in his eyes. “How are you feeling about your relationship with weed?”

Jughead watched Betty pull on the J as he considered his answer. “I’m feeling...pretty good,” he said. “I mean, I’ve slept more consistently than I have in years.”

Betty beamed, breathing out her hit and handing it back. “Good,” she said. “I just wanted to check in while it was just the two of us.”

“If nothing else, I just need to learn all the etiquette and weird phrases and shit that I keep trying to pick up from you guys,” Jughead said, laughing.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Betty said. “I wanted to review weed circle etiquette with you before tonight.”

Jughead looked taken aback, making Betty giggle. “I just mean,” she said. “You’ve only really participated during living room hangs. Tonight we’ll be in a more definitive circle outside the bar, and I don’t want you to do some stoner faux pas and have everyone roast you!” She placed her hand on his arm as Jughead laughed.

“How can you sound so ridiculous yet genuinely sweet and thoughtful at the same time?”

Betty shrugged. “This is Betty, take her or leave her.”

“I’ll take her,” Jughead passed the joint back. “So educate me, Weed Queen.”

“Okay, fundamentals: it’s puff, puff, pass.” She took a hit off the joint, breathed it out slowly, pulled on the joint a second time and then offered it to Jug.

Jughead smiled, accepting the joint and taking a first hit as Betty breathed out her second. He exhaled slowly, watching the smoke exit his mouth, before puffing a second time and handing it back to Betty as he held the smoke in his mouth.

“See, you’re a natural,” Betty said approvingly. “A lot of it is pretty basic. Always pass to the left. Left is law, we say. Don’t slobber on the joint or pinch it too hard.” She blushed a little. “Cheryl used to scream at me for pinching the joints too hard and fucking them up freshman year. My anxious ass holds on too tight.”

Jughead threw his arm around her and squeezed. “You can hold on to me too tight whenever you want, baby.”

Betty laughed, kissing him on the cheek. “Nice try, Romeo, but I’m not done yet. My last piece of advice: don’t sit on the joint, ranting and waving it around forever. It’s liable to go out that way.”

Jughead gave her an incredulous look. “Who, me? Can you really see me doing that?” He pointed down at the J between Betty’s fingers, no longer lit. “Looks like you broke your own rule.”

Betty noticed too and burst out laughing, shoving it into her canister before tackling Jughead, kissing him as she let her body entangle with his on the blanket. He eagerly responded, rubbing his hands up and down her nearly-bare back as she opened her mouth for him and they kissed and kissed.

Jughead’s hands came up to grip her ponytail, tugging lightly, and Betty let out an erotic groan that Jughead immediately felt in his dick.

Betty panted, pulling back. “We have to stop,” she gasped. “We’re on a public beach.”

They both laughed, looking around at their fellow beachgoers in a daze. Being high on the beach felt like a whole new experience to Jughead. The relaxation he already felt from the warm sun beating down on his face and the gentle breeze off the water was only amplified by the relaxation overtaking him. He felt giddy, alive, weightless. He looked out at the glistening water as if seeing it for the first time, and couldn’t help but beam at how beautiful it was. How beautiful this _day_ was.

He turned to Betty. “Maybe we need to cool off?”

“You read my mind,” she said, pulling off her shorts. She stood up, holding out her hand to Jughead and pulling him with her.

Without hesitation, they ran toward the waves, both shrieking when the cold water cascaded over their bare legs.

Jughead’s arms encircled Betty’s waist, pulling her to him, and Betty settled back into his embrace. “My main complaint about New England beaches as a Jersey girl is that the water never gets nearly warm enough,” Betty said.

Jughead laughed. “I can agree with that one.”

They let themselves get used to the water, happy for an excuse to just _be,_ wrapped around each other with feet anchored in the wet sand. Jughead gripped Betty in such a way that if one of them went down, they both would. 

\---

Eventually, they’d paddled out farther from shore and just floated together in the water, careful to avoid the rowdier children closer to the beach.

They returned shivering to the tapestry, wrapping themselves in the beach towels Betty had brought. As they settled down side by side on the tapestry, Betty pulling a second joint from her backpack, Jughead thought about what the two of them looked like from the outside. Just two happy college kids who are crazy about each other, probably. Onlookers might even roll their eyes bitterly at their PDA. Jughead was exhilarated and still not completely used to it, this feeling of being in a couple.

Jughead cupped his hands around the joint again as Betty sparked it, and noticed a thoughtful look in her eyes as she gazed across the beach.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Jughead asked, nudging her shoulder playfully with his own.

“My parents,” Betty admitted. “Cheryl and I came here for the first time when I was really still processing how toxic they were and struggling with my decision to cut them off.”

She finally tore her eyes away from the shoreline as she passed the joint to him, letting out a big hit with a satisfied, cleansing breath. Jughead puffed, feeling the white smoke fill his mouth and searching for something to say.

“Tell me about it,” Jughead said quietly. “If you want,” he quickly added.

Betty gave him a small smile. “I do,” she said.

Betty paused, trying to figure out where to begin. She closed her eyes, drawing strength from the breeze off the water. Jughead nudged himself closer to Betty on the tapestry, placing his arm around her shoulder. Betty opened her eyes, smiling at Jug before continuing. “I mentioned to you before that college was hard at the beginning because I didn’t totally fit in at first but I also didn’t have a home to miss. I just felt like I was floating around in the universe without anywhere to belong. I called Polly multiple times a day, even made her put the little ones on the phone. I would walk around Boston aimlessly, talking on the phone with her, tears just rolling down my cheeks.”

Jughead pulled her closer and Betty touched his cheek appreciatively. “Becoming friends with Cheryl and starting to smoke weed really helped, but I was still processing all the trauma of my childhood and the way things had ended between me and my parents. I’m sure I’ll tell you more at a later time because there’s so much, but they were so controlling. And it got worse in high school. That’s why Polly didn’t let them help with the babies.”

Jughead shook his head, clearing his throat before saying, “It’s not fair that you two had to deal with this, but you’re both so fucking strong for escaping.”

Betty let out a shaky laugh, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “Once Polly moved out, I knew I just had to make it till graduation. I tried to ignore their criticisms as much as possible, but it was like their voices were still in my head, you know? Constantly putting me down, telling me I wasn’t good enough even though I tried so hard. I always tried so hard.”

Betty sniffled, tears coming down a little harder now. Jughead kissed her cheek, gently wiping up the tears with the pads of his fingers. Betty leaned in and kissed him soundly, closing her eyes and relaxing into the feel of him. Their joint lay somewhere on the blanket below them, both of them so engrossed in this moment as Betty shared more of herself than she ever had before.

“Even though I was so excited to leave for college, I never could have imagined how hard it would be to actually cut ties with them,” Betty said. “They hadn’t talked to Polly in awhile, but I guess since they knew I was in constant contact with her, they still had a way to get to her. Once I left, they would really lose us.”

Jughead nodded, eyes widening. He’d never seen a picture of Betty’s parents before, but he imagined two faceless blonde monsters in his head, Stepford Wife-ish in appearance, all matching sweater sets and pastels.

“I’ll never forget the day I left,” Betty said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before continuing. “I think it finally all hit them, that they’d completely driven away both their daughters. I came down with my bags, ready to leave for good. Polly was waiting a block away to drive me to Boston. I just calmly and politely told them what I’d practiced in the mirror.” She took a deep breath before reciting it, word for word: “‘I’m leaving for college now. I’ll let you know when I’ve arrived safely, but then I won’t be contacting you, at least for awhile.’”

Jughead nodded, picturing the scene in his mind, probably standing in a pristine, spotless house in a New Jersey suburb. “What did they say?” he gently asked.

Betty snorted, letting out a shaky laugh as another tear rolled down her cheek. She stared into the distance as if looking through a window back in time at the scene of an 18-year-old Betty squaring off with a menacing Alice and Hal Cooper. “They freaked out. Started screaming and saying terrible things about me, how I was weak and crazy and would surely come crawling back to them, how both of us eventually would, me and Polly, but by then it would be too late and they wouldn’t help me.”

Jughead shook his head, stroking Betty’s hair as she pulled a tissue from her backpack and blew her nose. “That’s so fucking disgusting. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to be parents.”

Betty laughed. “Right? I so agree. Anyway, my mom at one point turned and like threw herself against the door, begging me to go to college somewhere closer to home, that she was sorry if she’d been hard on me but she cared about me. My dad rolled his eyes and laughed at it. Sometimes I truly wonder if he’s a sociopath. Anyway, I didn’t buy it then and I’ve never heard her say sorry again. I called Polly and she came running down the street, burst in the front door that my stupid mother had left unlocked, and we shoved our way out of there with my bags. Never looked back.”

“Wow,” Jughead said. He dropped his hand down to clasp Betty’s while she leaned into his shoulder, blowing her nose.

“Have you talked to them since then?” Jughead quietly asked after a silence.

Betty shrugged. “A couple times. But my mom never said she was sorry again. Never did I hear any remorse from either of them again. At first they called me a couple times to tell me ‘I better come back or I’d regret it.’ Stuff about how they were writing us out of their wills. Other little threats and attempts at blackmail. I stopped taking their calls after a couple weeks, and I actually decided to block them here on this beach.”

Jughead looked around, grinning. “With Cheryl?”

Betty nodded, smiling fondly. She searched the blanket for the joint and finally spotted it, inspecting it between her fingers. “Still a bit left, right?” she asked, holding it up to Jughead.

He nodded, handing her the lighter. “Definitely.”

The joint sparked on the first try this time, and Betty breathed out a long hit, still leaning on Jughead’s shoulder as she passed it to him.

“All they needed to do was say they loved me no matter what,” she whispered, getting emotional again as Jughead pulled her closer. “That they respected my decision. Maybe I would’ve called them to check in every now and again or tried to arrange a visit once a year or something. But they couldn’t get there. They’re too toxic.”

Jughead shook his head. “You’re brave for realizing that.”

“I did have some help,” Betty admitted. “That day on the beach I decided to block my parents and to make an appointment with the therapist at school. They helped me feel really validated in cutting my parents off, at least for now. And start to heal from the damage they did over the years.”

Jughead nodded. “Exactly,” he said. “I can relate. It’s fucking hard.”

“Maybe one day things can be different,” Betty said thoughtfully, looking out across the bay but not really seeing anything. “I hope they can be. But I’m not pinning any of my hopes and dreams on them anymore.”

Jughead smiled at her. “You’re so fucking cool. Like, the strongest person I think I’ve ever met.”

Betty turned to him, her eyes glassy at his words. “Sorry,” she said as a tear trickled down her cheek. “I’m so emotional today for some reason. Didn’t think this would happen when I chose this place for our date! But then again, I haven’t been to the therapist since school let out for summer.”

“Well, no need to apologize. I’m honestly just flattered you would trust me with that story.”

Betty cupped his chin. “I trust you with all of me,” she whispered, leaning in to give him a deep kiss. The joint went out, abandoned in Betty’s hand as they kissed deeply, neither wanting to be the one to end it. They both felt an unspoken pull to each other. In Betty telling Jughead that story, they could feel a shift in the dynamic between them, like things had gotten more serious and intense in a way that made Jughead want to hold Betty close and never let her go.

Eventually, they did pull back, finishing the joint and cuddling into each other on the blanket, just laying curled in each other under the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Betty’s alarm went off at 4 PM, startling them both from a stoned doze. Betty turned it off, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “We need to go if we want to grab food before we pick Cheryl up,” Betty explained.

Jughead nodded, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head as he yawned. “You had me at food.”

They gathered up all their towels and garbage and walked hand in hand across the sand back to the car.

“Hey, you know what’s weird?” Jughead said.

“So many things,” Betty said, laughing. “But what in particular?”

“That our last class is this week,” Jughead said.

“Oh my God, you’re right! That’s crazy,” Betty said, shaking her head and grinning at him. “What will I do without my weekly Jughead doodle session?”

“I can still doodle for you,” Jughead said, squeezing her hand as they continued toward the car. “So much has happened in six weeks, huh?”

“Best six weeks of my life,” Betty said, meeting his eyes again as they reached the car and started loading things into the trunk.

\---

“Helloooo, lovebirds!” was the first thing Cheryl said, her body only halfway hoisted into the backseat of her car.

Jughead turned around from the passenger seat, smirking at Cheryl in her red server apron. “Did you choose where to work based on the uniform?”

Cheryl clipped her seat belt in, looking sternly at Betty, who had turned around as well, smirking at the red shirt Cheryl was wearing under her apron today. “Are you really going to let your boyfriend here insult me in my own car?” Cheryl said.

Betty and Jughead both laughed. “Don’t be rude, Jug,” Betty said, turning back to the road and pulling out of the spot she’d been idling in. “Cheryl’s aesthetic is very important to her and we must respect that.”

“Thank you,” Cheryl said, crossing her arms and looking out the window at the crowds and cobblestone sidewalks of Harvard Square. “Now, what did you two get up to today? A romp in the sheets perhaps?”

“Cheryl!” Betty shrieked as Jughead’s face reddened.

“I see you blushing, Jughead,” Cheryl said, leaning forward. “The question is, will you crack?”

Jughead looked incredulously back at her. “Are you always this nosey?”

“Only when it comes to my best friend being treated right,” Cheryl insisted.

“I was treated very, very well today,” Betty said. “We went to the beach, smoked some joints, Jughead bought us Brighton Cafe and we went halfsies on some Chipotle for dinner. All in all, it was a successful day.”

Jughead grinned at her before picking up Betty’s phone and changing the song to a Sylvan Esso song Cheryl knew exclusively as a song that Betty always played. Cheryl observed carefully from the backseat, watching Betty look in shock and surprise at Jughead before giggling with him about some shared secret. Cheryl shook her head, resolving to look out the window as they passed across the bridge back into Boston. She’d let them have this one.

\---

“I was hoping ‘let’s freshen up in my room’ was code,’” Jughead panted against Betty’s neck.

He had Betty up against the bedroom door again, her legs wrapped around him as he held her by the ass and she worked her tongue down his neck while pawing at his shirt. “Betts…” he groaned. “Are you sure we have to go to the bar…?”

“Lovebirds!” Cheryl screeched from the living room, causing Jughead to jump a bit, rocking Betty on top of him. 

They both giggled, Betty detaching her mouth from Jughead’s neck. “Yes, Cheryl?” Betty called as Jughead buried his face in her neck.

“We need to leave for the bar in 5! Make yourselves decent!”

They filed out ten minutes later with flushed faces while Cheryl crossed her arms and smirked at them.

\---

Cheryl looped her arms through Betty’s on one end and Jughead’s on the other, making jokes about ‘being in a Bughead sandwich’ as Betty shook her head and laughed.

As they walked in, Betty waved a hello to Veronica, standing behind the bar pouring a drink in a sinfully low-cut black top. Veronica wordlessly pointed toward the dartboards in the back.

Indeed, Kevin, Moose, Archie, and Val were huddled around one of the dartboards. Archie had one of his hands on the small of Val’s back and was whispering in her ear as Moose lined up his shot. Kevin heckled from the table Melody and Josie sat at with a pitcher of beer.

“Archie must really be trying with Val if he came to bar night,” Betty commented under her breath. Jughead tensed a little, as was his natural instinct around jock-y dudes.

“Oh, thank God, Josie’s flying solo,” Cheryl hissed as they made a beeline for their friends.

Jughead shot Betty a questioning look behind Cheryl’s back. “I’ll fill you in later,” Betty mouthed.

Cheryl finally released Betty and Jughead as they all moved to hug their friends hello. 

“Where’s Toni?” Josie asked as she released Cheryl from her embrace.

Cheryl pouted. “She’s closing tonight and couldn’t get anyone to cover.”

Josie poured Cheryl a pint glass from the pitcher. “We’ll have fun tonight anyway,” she said, handing it to her.

Jughead internally winced, realizing with a pang that his usual buffer wasn’t here to fall back on when he started to feel socially awkward.

He felt the warmth of Betty lightly squeezing his waist, interrupting the beginning of a thought spiral. He calmed a bit, peering down at Betty’s encouraging smile and suddenly realizing he didn’t actually need Toni like that anymore. Not when he had Betty like _this._

Jughead settled beside Betty with his arm around her waist, letting her lean into him. He noticed Archie inspecting him closely as Kevin took his turn at the dartboard.

“Hey, man,” Jughead tried awkwardly.

“How you doin, Archie?” Betty quickly chimed in.

“Just beating Val here in darts,” he teased, turning to look at her.

Val shook her head. “You wish, Andrews.”

“Your turn, Red,” Kevin said, passing the darts to his roommate. He clapped Archie on the back and turned to face Betty and Jughead.

“Wanna grab cocktails from the bar, B?” Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“Yes!” Betty said immediately, shifting to hold Jughead’s hand and pull him with her. “Let’s go.”

Jughead obediently followed Kevin and Betty to the bar. They ordered drinks from Veronica, Kevin tapping his fingers on the wood tabletop as she prepared them.

“So what’s the gossip, Kev?” Betty asked in a no-nonsense tone.

“Josie hasn’t mentioned Berklee Boo all night,” Kevin said, accepting his drink from Veronica, who wrinkled her nose.

“Josie was in here with that dude two nights ago,” Veronica said as she made Betty’s gin and tonic. “But they were arguing at the end.”

Kevin gasped, his eyes widening. “Oh my god, thank you so much. Best. Bartender. Ever.”

Veronica smiled, handing Betty her drink and holding her hand out to Kevin, who dropped $30 in her hand, telling her to keep the change before strutting back over to the dartboard.

Betty laughed, sipping her drink and murmuring appreciatively. “Delicious as always, Veronica, thank you,” Betty said. Veronica mock-bowed before going to help her next customer.

Jughead put his arm around Betty as they walked back to the group. “Kevin is wild,” he whispered in her ear.

“Oh yeah, I never claimed he wasn’t,” Betty assured him.

They were both laughing when they returned to the table, Jughead sitting at one of the empty seats and patting his lap. Betty immediately climbed on top of him, settling herself with her arms around his neck as she watched the darts game between her friends unfold.

Betty was about halfway through her first drink when Val proved victorious, drawing cheers from all the girls in the name of feminism.

“How about a celebratory joint?” Val proposed, sauntering up to Archie with a cheeky grin on her face.

“Yes!” Cheryl cheered, downing the rest of her pint glass. “Betty, did you pre-roll?”

Betty smiled and patted her purse. “Indeed. I have one left from me and Jug’s adventure.”

As Jughead followed Betty and her friends outside, he remembered Betty’s weed circle advice from earlier: Left is law. Puff, puff, pass. No slobbering, no pinching, no sitting on the joint. 

The group walked about a block away, settling into a natural circle as Betty pulled out her joint and lighter.

“Val, you can do the honors,” she said, handing them both to her friend before linking her arm with Jughead’s.

Archie and Kevin ended up building a house for Val with their hands as a gust of wind ripped through the air. 

“Typical Boston,” Josie complained, shaking her head as everyone laughed.

The joint began passing around, Kevin animatedly telling a story and getting booed when he sat on the joint too long and caused the J to go out. 

By the time it got to Jughead, the joint was halfway burned down. He smiled appreciatively at Betty’s familiar handiwork and took a puff, holding the smoke in his mouth very carefully. He was hyper aware of his actions, not wanting to produce fresh fodder for jokes about his virginal stoner status in comparison to the seasoned smokers around the circle. 

He needn’t have worried, though. Cheryl, Josie, and Melody were absently dancing around while the boys looked on, laughing and hyping them up, and Betty swayed her hips slightly while retaining her hold on Jughead, who relaxed into his second hit before passing it to his girlfriend.

Betty caught Jughead’s eye as she exhaled her first hit and they both beamed at each other, remembering their afternoon laying on the beach. Betty’s weed etiquette talk. Jughead couldn’t wait to get Betty out of here. As she passed the joint off to Moose, he pulled Betty closer, wrapping her in his arms. 

\---

“Y’all better Venmo us,” Betty said when a second joint Melody had produced finally went out and they all straggled back inside the bar.

“We got you, ladies. Venmo them...whatever your heart desires,” Cheryl cooed, giggling and Conga-lining her way back in with all the Pussycats.

“When did they all get so buzzed?” Jughead asked Betty as they lagged behind everyone else.

“Just one beer chug like that is all it takes to get Cheryl, believe it or not,” Betty said and they both laughed as they settled back into their previous position, Betty perched in Jughead’s lap as they watched their friends begin a rematch.

Around midnight, when Betty had finished a second drink and heckled her throat raw, Jughead leaned in close to her ear, tickling her neck with his breath. “Wanna get out of here?”

Betty closed her eyes in anticipation, leaning back into his warmth and whispering, “I thought you’d never ask.”

She picked herself up and swung her purse over her shoulder. Jughead adjusted his clothes and stood up as well, standing awkwardly next to Betty as she waited for Kevin to finish throwing his dart.

“We’re heading out,” Betty finally sing-songed, offering up her arms for some parting hugs.

“Oooooooh!” an incredibly drunk Moose and Melody yelled, arms around each other as they both took sips of beer.

“Get it, Betty! Get it, Jughead!” Josie called from where she was standing with Cheryl watching the game.

Betty and Jughead both flushed red and shook their heads. “We’ll see you later,” Betty said.

Their friends continued whooping and cheering after them as Betty and Jughead hustled their way out of the place, waving goodbye to Veronica, who was laughing at the entire scene from her usual spot behind the bar.

“Our friends will really never change,” Jughead said, sighing, as they headed hand in hand toward Cheryl and Betty’s.

\---

Outside the apartment, Betty had trouble wedging her key into the lock as Jughead nipped and sucked at her neck. She was so turned on by this new side of him that had been recently activated.

“Jug,” Betty moaned, attempting to steady him with her hand to his collarbone. “We need to get inside.”

Finally they crashed into the apartment, locking the door before Jughead picked Betty up and carried her to the room, Betty giggling the whole way down the hall.

Betty threw her purse on the ground and pulled Jughead’s beanie off, throwing it to the ground and threading her hands through Jughead’s hair as he moaned into her mouth. He had her up against the door for a third time and this time he had plans. 

He tilted his head down, sucking a hickey into her neck as she leaned her head back against the door and let out a gasp. “Jug.” She lifted her hands above her head and shot him a seductive look. 

Wordlessly, Jughead lifted her shirt over her head, tossing it on the ground and quickly unclasping her bra and discarding it on the floor, too. He immediately reattached his mouth to her neck, trailing kisses and licks down her collarbone and between her tits. His hands came up to cup her heaving breasts as her breath continued to quicken. 

Betty could feel every touch and lick in her core. She thrusted her front against Jughead, itching for some relief as he thumbed her nipples and brought his lips to hers. They kissed messily, Betty desperately thrusting into his tented pants. She finally pulled back as Jug moved to lick her nipple. 

“Oh my God,” she whispered, grinding down on his hardness with her core. “Don’t stop.”

Jughead obediently licked and sucked at one of her nipples while rubbing and pinching the other with his finger and thrusting his hips to meet Betty’s pace. 

Betty could feel her orgasm building, her eyes closing as her head fell back against the door. She cried out as Jughead pinched both her nipples while licking down her cleavage, riding out her orgasm as Jughead continued to greedily suck and touch at her breasts. 

Jughead started to move his hand to dip into her panties, but she stopped him, still coming down from her first orgasm of the night.

“Take me to bed first,” she panted and his eyes darkened as he pulled on her ponytail, making her moan before carrying her to bed. 

They fell in a sweaty heap onto Betty’s sheets, still wrinkled from an earlier encounter. Jughead quickly rid himself of his shirt and pants as Betty kicked off her shorts. They came back together, both clad only in underwear, desperately reaching for each other.

After everything that Betty had shared with him today about her traumatic past, all Jughead wanted to do was make her feel loved and cared for and beautiful. He stared at her, all hard nipples and wispy blonde hair, flushed cheeks and lidded eyes that were looking at him with a gaze equal parts naughty and loving. He wanted to bottle this up, all of it, every assorted good feeling from the day, and live on it forever.

While he was distracted, Betty moved forward, resting her hands firmly but gently on Jughead’s shoulders and pushing him back on the bed. He smirked, watching Betty lean forward and lick at his chest, making eye contact with him for assurance before continuing her ministrations down his body. He leaned his head back contentedly, closing his eyes and resting his hand in Betty’s hair as she reached the top of his boxers, cupping him over the fabric as he groaned. 

“Can I take these off?” she whispered, tugging again at the fabric.

He nodded. “Please do,” he croaked out.

Betty licked her lips, gently pulling down his plaid boxers and gripping his dick in her hand. She leaned forward and licked experimentally at his balls. He tugged at her hair with his fingers, groaning, and she hissed. 

“Mmm,” Betty whispered erotically before taking him in her mouth. Betty sucked farther down his shaft than she had the first time she’d gone down on him and Jughead moaned, worried he wasn’t going to last. 

“Betty,” he croaked out. “I’m not gonna last long.”

Betty let go of him with a pop. She moved herself up his body, leaning forward to give him a long kiss. He opened his eyes to watch her, his hand still gripping her hair, keeping her close. “You’re so hot,” he murmured.

“So are you,” Betty said, watching him seductively, as she kissed her way back down to his dick. “Now, don’t you want me to make you feel good?”

Jughead pulled her hair, making her moan as she licked at his dick again and he shut his eyes again, leaning back against the bed. Betty took him again in her mouth, sucking and licking up and down as she pumped him with her hand, not letting up. Only two minutes later, he was coming into her mouth, crying out as she stroked him through it and swallowed. 

She wiped her mouth, watching him with a satisfied smile on her face as he came down and opened his eyes slowly. 

“Good?” she whispered, tucking herself into his side.

He rubbed at her back as his arm came around her, kissing her hair. “So good,” he murmured. 

A mere minute later, his hand was down Betty’s pants, one finger working at her clit while the other thrust inside her, Betty’s hands gripping the sheets as she cried out Jughead’s name, both of them silently hoping Cheryl wouldn’t come home any time soon.

\---

Later, after Betty had peed and returned to bed, laying on top of Jughead with their hair sweaty and matted to their faces, Betty whispered, “We’re getting pretty good at this.”


	13. July 24 - 26, 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Betty and Jughead’s last summer class together, and the week brings them a lot of reflection as they try to spend as much time in each other’s presence as they can around their work schedules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience as always!!! This is a big communicative!Bughead chapter and I hope you all enjoy. After this, I’m finishing up my spring break Investigative Bughead two-shot (ie, writing ch 2 of RAs on duty) and then I’ll be returning my focus to Exhale! There’s a lot of good stuff coming up in the next few chapters, so thanks to everyone who’s stuck around for the ride! Love y’all! XOXO Maria

**Tuesday, July 24**

Finally detaching his lips from Betty’s for the first time since he’d entered her living room five minutes earlier, Jughead carefully brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and then leaned down to whisper, “I’m craving Chinese.”

Betty immediately burst out laughing, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before finally pulling away from him and walking to grab her phone off the couch. “Delivery it is!” she said, as Jughead plopped down beside her.

“Didn’t we bond over our mutual love of Teriyaki House early on in this connection?” Betty said as she scrolled through her food delivery app.

Jughead’s eyes lit up. “We definitely did. And we definitely still haven’t eaten it together yet.”

Betty smiled, tapping to click definitively on the restaurant. “Then it’s settled.”

After the order had been placed, Betty began grinding up weed while Jughead sniffed at the jar it had come from, labeled as usual in Betty’s looping cursive. _Blue Trainwreck._

“Wait,” Betty said, pausing in her motions. “Is this also gonna be the first time you’ve ever eaten Teriyaki House stoned?”

Jughead grinned. “Oh, it absolutely is.”

“Get ready for a spiritual experience.” Betty smiled wide, finishing grinding up the nug and twisting the bottom of the grinder open to reveal a layer of dusty green goodness. Jughead inhaled the smell that got a little more comforting every time, watching Betty daintily fill the bowl of her blue bong with fresh Blue Trainwreck.

“Hey, Betty,” Jughead said, a look of realization crossing his face.

Betty cocked her head to the side curiously as she grabbed an electric green lighter off the coffee table. “Hmm?” she said, presenting him with the bong.

“What is this piece called? I don’t know that you ever told me,” Jughead said, accepting the royal blue bubbler and admiring it in his hands.

Betty laughed. “I can’t believe I’ve never told you,” she said. “Take your hit first and I will.”

Jughead grinned, flicking the lighter and awkwardly aiming it at the top of the bowl. Sometimes he still asked Betty for help (okay, if he was being real, he asked her for help most of the time) but he was trying to get better. And Betty assured him he was a “natural born stoner” all the time, and she was only a little biased.

Jughead breathed out a huge hit, earning him a round of applause from Betty and an equally huge cough from deep within himself.

Handing the bong to Betty and coughing deeply again, Jughead finally said, “Okay, so what’s its name?”

“ _Her_ name is Twerk.”

Jughead practically choked laughing, covering his mouth as he teared up.

“Now you know why I made you take your hit first,” Betty said, biting back a grin as she watched him keel over laughing.

Jughead finally stopped a good thirty seconds later, clearing his throat and admitting, “Fair. You’re brilliant. So, when did you name it?”

Betty’s eyes twinkled in response, the bong smoke filling her mouth rendering her momentarily silent. She let out another large cloud of white smoke and passed the bong back to Jughead.

“So, this is the first piece I ever bought,” she said. “Freshman year, when Cheryl and I got sick of smoking bowls and joints. We shared her little spoon bowl all of first semester and we were finally ready to branch out. We had recently become friends with Kevin, and he had just bought a bong from this place near Kenmore on Comm Ave.”

Jughead nodded as he breathed out his hit, immediately able to picture the scene in his mind. “Was Kevin with you?” he asked as he handed Betty the bong back.

She lit the bowl, smiling at Jughead’s question but pausing to take her hit. As she breathed out a big rip and gave herself a minute to daintily cough into the crook of her arm, Jughead watched her in amazement. He never seemed to tire of observing her, all her little quirks and flaws that he somehow found just as adorable as everything else about her. Like, she was usually doing at least one of her anxious ticks. Digging the nails into the palms was only one, in fact the most extreme, manifestation of her anxiety that he could trace on her skin. There was the way she pulled at the ends of her hair with her fingertips, lightly and subtly enough that most people wouldn’t notice it. But Jughead always did.

And there were the times, like now, when she was tapping her feet against the ground ever so slightly, in time with the song she had playing so it was almost imperceptible. Each one of her little ticks he’d noted in the months he’d known her were of careful design, probably borne of years of stewing in that nervous energy. Yet, he found her intoxicating. He couldn’t get enough of her.

“Earth to Jughead,” Betty singsonged, holding out the bong to him. “There’s one last hit in there,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him. “If you want it.”

Jughead smirked at the challenge, taking the bong and gesturing with the lighter. “So, you were on Comm Ave with Cheryl.”

“Yep, just Cheryl. We went exactly where Kevin told us to, and they ID’d us at the door,” Betty said, pausing for dramatic effect as Jughead “oooooh”’d to Betty’s laughter. “It felt super badass as a 19-year-old.”

“Oh, but of course,” Jughead said, breathing out a last hit and ashing the bowl, as Betty had taught him to do one of the last times they’d shared a bowl.

Betty leaned back slightly on the couch, gazing wistfully into the distance as if looking back through time. “We kind of nervously walked around all the glass cases, peering in and looking for something that caught our eye. And then, there it was: toward the back.” She gestured toward the royal blue bong, now sitting emptied on the coffee table.

“I loved the color. The size just felt...perfect. Like, just the right step up from our little spoon bowl, you know?” Betty said, a twinkle in her eye that reminded Jughead of how special Betty’s friendships were to her. How much he related and admired it about her. He felt a warmth in the bottom of his stomach, as he had more and more frequently around Betty.

“So we didn’t know about being able to haggle prices down. Which is a thing at head shops. You can easily not pay the tag price. But being very obvious barely-18+ noobs, we ended up paying the full $30 price on the tag,” Betty admitted.

“Wow, I wouldn’t have known that,” Jughead said. “How did you find out you got a lil scammed?”

Betty smiled. “That’s where Kevin comes back into the story,” she said. “He told us he wasn’t free till night but he’d bring the weed. We had enough weed for one last joint, so we smoked enough to make the dining hall food edible”- Jughead laughed at that one -“and then went to meet him in the Common at 9 PM. We bundled up and trudged through the January cold to smoke on that big hill.”

Jughead grinned. “Love that hill.”

“As do I. I like it better on a 75-degree day, but I digress.”

Jughead laughed. “And Kevin promptly informed you that you were ripped off?”

Betty joined Jughead in laughter, appreciating how well he’d already observed her friends’ habits in the short time he’d known them. “He did indeed. But he also donated the weed for our inaugural bowl in the bong, so we couldn’t be too mad. We bought water at the 7-11 and filled her up, took our first hits in the cold. We could see our breaths and the smoke,” she said, looking across the room as if gazing out at Boston city lights against an inky black January sky. “And that’s where we named it.”

“How so?” Jughead’s lips quirked into an adorable smirk.

“Kevin ended up twerking for us,” she admitted, laughing. “He wanted to show us how so we could dance with him at a party he wanted to take us to that weekend.”

Jughead smiled, picturing the scene. “Wow, so twerking lessons on the Boston Common hill?”

“Very stoned, very silly, very loving but also at times harsh twerking lessons on the Boston Common hill,” Betty said, both of them laughing by the end of her sentence. “Did I mention there was snow on the ground?”

Jughead leaned forward and grabbed Betty’s face in his hands, gazing lovingly into her eyes before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. She smiled into it, the expression on her face pleasantly surprised. 

When he finally pulled back, she was suitably flushed and Jughead felt smug. He wasn’t even entirely sure why he’d done that. He realized that he’d stopped thinking about it the way he had when he and Betty first started kissing. _Had kissing her finally started to come truly naturally to him?_ His cheeks burned pleasantly at the thought. 

The not-uncomfortable silence was interrupted by the sound of Betty’s doorbell ringing. Betty quickly bounded up to meet the delivery man at the door, handing him cash and flashing him one of her trademark Cooper smiles before turning around and presenting the bag of food to Jughead. “It’s hereeee!” she declared, her voice dipping into that silly lilt that only seemed to come out when she was two or three bowls deep.

Jughead grinned, standing and patting his stomach as he followed her to the table. “I’m so excited.”

The air was almost immediately filled with the sound of the two of them smacking their lips together and moaning in pleasure as they practically inhaled the food. Jughead had already shoved three scallion pancakes into his mouth before he realized that they’d barely talked to one another since the food arrived. He turned to look at Betty at the same time she looked up from her second scallion pancake to meet his eyes with a horrified look of her own. They both burst out laughing at the same time, throwing down their food and wiping their greasy hands with napkins.

“We’re monsters,” Betty said when she finally caught her breath from laughing.

Jughead reached for her hand, squeezing it across the table as she gazed adoringly at him. “I think eating food stoned is my favorite part of this lifestyle,” he said, his half-lidded eyes looking goofily into her own.

She burst out laughing again, throwing her head back with abandon before getting off her chair and coming to sit in Jughead’s lap. She leaned down and kissed him soundly, threading her hands through his hair as he gripped her back roughly. The way she liked it.

Betty came up for air a good minute later, exhaling with a satisfied sigh. “I’m still hungry,” she admitted. He giggled, patting her thigh. 

“Same.” He gave her another peck and she jumped off his lap, returning to her seat.

“Eating food stoned is one of my favorite parts too,” Betty said as she dunked another scallion pancake in sauce. “Especially now that I get to do it with you.”

Jughead grinned at her. He scooped rice and sesame chicken out of their containers. “Not to ruin this moment, but I’ve been meaning to ask you, and it just popped in my head: what exactly is the deal with that whole Josie’s boo thing on Sunday night? Is Josie dating someone? And do we hate him?”

Betty let out another of her deep, stoned belly laughs, not having expected _that_ of all things to come out of Jughead’s mouth. “Oh, if you want to hear the history of Josie’s unfortunate track record with men, I can tell you.” She paused, deeming to choose her words carefully. “It’s not her fault. One of these days she’s going to find the right guy.”

“Oh, I’m sure she will. Josie’s awesome. And, Betty...of _course_ I want the full history,” Jughead said, leaning forward with his chopsticks, ready to devour his chicken.

“Okay,” Betty said, grinning. “It all started when we met her second semester freshman year…”

\---

Betty and Jughead figured they would get less distracted by each other if they worked on their project in the common space. So after Jughead brewed them one of his strong pots of coffee while Betty ogled him in the kitchen, they finally got down to business, setting themselves up at the table with laptops facing each other like they were squaring off in a game of Battleship.

Distance from Betty’s bed, it turned out, didn’t make much of a difference.

Exactly 27 minutes into their study session, Betty came around to peer at the PowerPoint over Jughead’s shoulder. As he turned to make eye contact with Betty to make his point, gesturing at the screen with his finger, his eye caught on Betty’s low-cut top.

He paused mid-sentence, and Betty watched his eyes darken as they both trailed off and let their gazes rake across each other’s bodies, both drawn closer to the other by some invisible magnetism.

\---

Another half hour later, Betty finally pulled her lips off Jughead’s and giggled. They’d landed horizontal under the kitchen table, Betty’s body covering Jughead’s, both of them flushed and panting as they tried to recover.

“Oops,” Jughead finally let out and they both laughed. “So much for working in the kitchen for lack of distraction.”

“Good thing we’re gonna kill it during our presentation tomorrow anyway,” Betty said, cupping Jughead’s chin in her hand as she smiled down at him.

“Oh, definitely,” Jughead said, rubbing her back soothingly. “I never doubted us for a second. We’re a dream team.”

Betty grinned, shutting her eyes into the feeling of Jughead’s soft touch. She nuzzled her head into Jughead’s chest and smiled when he transferred his hands to stroke through her hair.

“This is the least stressed I think I’ve ever been about a project,” she murmured. 

Jughead’s eyes softened as he listened.

“My parents and their unreasonably high expectations made school a chore for so many years, even though I was good at it,” she said.

Betty curled her hands and looked down at them, which didn’t escape Jughead’s notice. He watched her with soft eyes before carefully reaching down to intertwine their hands on his chest. She smiled as they both looked at her hands.

Jughead’s fingers traced gently over the faint scars over her palm before he leaned down and wordlessly placed a soft kiss on her hand. Tears welled up in the corners of Betty’s eyes at the sight.

“I’ve had a pretty good run of it these last few weeks,” she admitted.

Jughead continued his ministrations, his lips grazing each little scar softly before he finally returned his gaze to her face to find her watching him with a look of pure reverence across her face.

“It’s their fault, isn’t it?” Jughead said, his voice hoarse.

Betty nodded, the tears leaking from her eyes as Jughead shook his head in a silent rage. “I started doing it when I was fourteen.”

She paused as Jughead helped her wipe up some of the tears before taking a shaky breath and continuing.

“There was a time when I enjoyed school, but they made sure to stamp that out in high school. You know, once they could start hanging college admission over my head.”

Jughead kissed her cheek. “That’s not fair to you at all. You’re one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met,” he said sincerely.

Betty laughed in a cynical sort of way. “Thanks, Jug,” she said softly. “In college I’ve been trying to take back my love of learning, in my own way. Taking classes that interest me, not getting overly stressed or setting unrealistic goals. But projects can still be triggering, and somehow you’ve taken all the stress out of this one. Thanks for helping me take it all back,” she tilted her head so their eyes were locked and smiled into the kiss he placed on her lips.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get the parents you deserved, Betty.”

“Oh, Jug,” Betty said, carefully cupping his chin in her hands. “Neither of us did.”

  
  


**Wednesday, July 25**

They’d assigned the final slide of their presentation to Betty, so Jughead had the privilege of watching her passionately speak, waving her arms emphatically as she restated their thesis, from where he was standing on the other side of the screen. 

As she finished and the class politely clapped, Betty and Jughead shared a brief smile. They’d nailed it. 

“Amazing job, Jughead and Betty,” the professor immediately said, getting to his feet and complimenting them on the sophisticated arguments they’d made and their impressive levels of research.

“Are you both going to be senior thesis candidates this year?” the professor asked as Betty unplugged their flash drive from the computer and Jughead awkwardly waited for her to return to their seats.

Betty flashed the professor her trademark Cooper smile reserved for strangers and adults. “Yes, I am. In political communications.”

Jughead nodded beside her. “Same, but in English,” he offered and the professor clapped his hands together excitedly.

“Great, I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “Feel free to reach out if you’re in need of an advisor.” He paused. “Now who’s up next?”

He scanned the room when no one immediately volunteered. “How about Trev and Ethel?”

Betty and Jughead both thanked the professor as they passed him returning to their seats. Jughead noticed a blush across Betty’s face and squeezed her hand, which she’d already curled up in a fist to soothe the post-presentation anxiety. She smiled appreciatively at him as the class waited for Trev and Ethel to set up their PowerPoint.

As the next presentation began, Betty smirked and grabbed her pen off her desk. _Wow, it’s like, absurdly obvious which slides are Ethel’s and which are Trev’s,_ she wrote on her notebook before sliding it toward Jug.

Jughead stifled a laugh, looking up just in time to watch Trev monologue off his slide covered in an absurdly large block of text while Ethel tapped her foot impatiently from the other side of the screen. The professor frowned as he listened carefully to Trev’s arguments.

Jughead scribbled a note back. _I’m surprised Ethel didn’t at least edit down his Game of Thrones book-length slides._

Betty smiled at his comment and shook her head as she stifled a laugh of her own. She squared her shoulders and faced forward, forcing herself to listen to the next few presentations without writing notes to Jughead. She no longer trusted herself not to laugh aloud, not now that she understood his humor so much more intimately than she had when they were just friends. His tone simply leapt off the page and she could hardly contain herself.

Finally, the presentations concluded and the professor got back up to the front of the class to thank everyone for their work and an engaging six weeks of dialogue and discussion. As everyone began packing up, Betty turned to smile at Jughead.

“End of an era,” she quipped as she watched Jughead get up first and load his notebook and laptop into his backpack. 

He offered his hand to Betty. “End of an era, indeed. Take my politeness while you can, Betts, because once we’re no longer classmates, all bets are off.”

Betty accepted his hand and got to her feet, laughing as she packed her backpack too. “Your bad boy persona is finally gonna come floating to the surface?”

“He’s been bursting to come out, Betty.”

Betty had a retort on the tip of her tongue when a loud clearing of the throat behind them interrupted their exchange. Betty and Jughead both turned to find Trev standing waiting to talk to Betty with a hand perched awkwardly on the straps of his backpack.

“I just wanted to compliment you on your presentation today, Betty,” he said, angling his body away from Jughead, which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Thanks, Trev. Couldn’t have done it without Jughead,” she said, smiling over at him.

Trev didn’t miss a beat though, clearly on a mission. “Maybe I’ll see you at the party house again soon?”

Jughead put his arm casually around Betty. “Yeah, maybe you will.”

“Have a good rest of the summer,” Betty added, reaching up to clasp Jughead’s hand perched on her shoulder. 

\---

They got stuck in the elevator down to the lobby with half their class, the little metal box filled to maximum capacity as was the custom at their “vertical campus.” (A favorite phrase of the college tour guides.) Jughead fixed his eyes on Betty and stared. He licked his lips and let his eyes purposefully trail all the way down her body, taking in every curve. She’d worn a pair of tight, professional-looking pants for the presentation and he couldn’t get enough. She winked back at him and reddened when a dude standing behind Jughead shot her a weird look back.

In the building lobby, Jughead was one of the first out the elevator. He had his hand outstretched to Betty when she finally got off, grinning as she placed her hand solidly in his and they emerged out onto the downtown Boston streets. Betty fished her weed pen out of her pants pocket with her other hand and brought it to her lips. They were both walking in the direction of their coffee shop as if on autopilot, and Jughead internally tingled at the routine of it all.

“Do you want a pre-coffee hit, Jug?”

Jughead considered. “I don’t know, I think I’m good for now.” 

Betty nodded. “You’ll learn the simple joys of coffee and weed soon enough,” she said confidently, taking a last hit and pocketing the pen again.

They laughed about the dude in the elevator for the rest of their walk, and before they knew it were seated at their favorite table in the coffee shop, where they’d sat so many times since this class had begun. Yet so much had changed.

Jughead held his coffee cup in the air. “May I propose a toast?”

Betty raised her eyebrows in excitement and lifted her cup as well. “Please do.”

“Okay, so...cheers to our dear professor for bringing us together,” he said. 

“Cheers,” Betty agreed as they tapped cups.

“...and cheers to not having to listen to Trev’s monologues anymore,” Jughead added while their cups were still touching.

Betty burst out laughing as they both took sips of their coffee. She smiled down at her chocolate croissant.

“What?” Jughead said playfully, watching her face carefully.

She looked back at up him, smirking. “You’re totally jealous of Trev.”

Jughead blushed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Betty tsked. “Haven’t we established my keen powers of observation, Jughead Jones? You can’t fool me.”

Jughead shook his head, laughing. “Okay, okay, you got me,” he admitted, pausing to take another sip. “But jealousy is a weird feeling for me. It’s another first I experienced with you. Actually, it was one of the first signs I had that maybe my feelings for you weren’t entirely platonic.”

“Oh, yeah, you were definitely not into that guy earlier the summer.” Betty grinned, remembering. 

“Betty, you’re like...an advanced human specimen,” Jughead said, making sure to avoid the word ‘perfect.’ “Gorgeous and kind and smart as hell.”

Betty blushed. “Aw, Jug,” she stammered.

“It’s true,” he said, voice steady. “It makes sense why Trev would’ve noticed too. And he definitely did. You can’t say he wasn’t flirting with you earlier this summer.”

“And today,” Betty agreed, nodding. “I told you he hit on me at the party house once too, so I wasn’t surprised. Look, I get why he might’ve tried again earlier this summer, but today was just pathetic.”

“It was?”

“I don’t know why Trev would even try to flirt with me when it’s pretty obvious I’m completely, head-over-heels into _you_.” Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at Jughead.

Jughead felt...well, the only word that came to mind was “soft.” He stared at Betty’s lips, leaning forward, and Betty reached up to meet him as they kissed gently across the table.

They pulled back and Betty’s eyes were still sparkling with a deviousness Jughead recognized immediately.

“What’s on your mind, Betts?”

“In the spirit of a toast...what do you say to a celebratory joint? I was thinking we could go on over to the Public Garden and I can show you the spot where Cheryl showed me how to smoke for the first time.”

Jughead’s eyes softened. “How fitting,” he said. “I’m in.”

They finished their coffees while laughing and joking about all the other presentations from the last class.

Betty took a final sip and stood up from her seat. “It’s time,” she said dramatically and Jughead burst out laughing. She paused as she threw her cup out, before tipping her head in the direction of the barista. “How about a second cup of coffee for the road?”

Jughead laughed. “You know I’ll never say no to coffee.”

Betty grinned and moved toward the counter before pausing and turning back to him again. “Wait. Share a muffin?” She asked the question with a playful look in her eyes.

Jughead cupped her chin and leaned down to kiss her softly. She smiled up at him as they both opened their eyes. “Surprise me,” he said.

\---

Jughead couldn’t stop grinning, their hands intertwined as he let Betty lead them to the exact tree in the Public Garden that she and Cheryl had smoked under for the first time.

Betty finally stopped them at one of the trees along the bank of the pond.

“This is the place?” Jughead asked, looking around at his surroundings exaggeratedly.

Betty let go of his hand to sit down on the knobby wood, patting the roots. “Join me, Jug. If I can get these pants dusty, you can soil your jeans a little.” He laughed at that.

Betty carefully put her coffee cup down on one of the flat roots, just large enough for two cups. Jughead passed his cup to her too as Betty pulled one of her trusty plastic canisters out of her backpack. Jughead gingerly positioned his butt down beside her.

“You always pre-roll?” Jughead watched in amazement as Betty pulled another perfectly-rolled marijuana cigarette out of the canister.

“On special occasions, always,” Betty said. “And our last class definitely qualified.”

She grabbed her pink lighter out of her pocket. “To the class that brought us together,” she said again, before placing the joint between her lips and bringing the lighter to the tip. 

“Cheers,” Jughead said as he watched the end of the joint catch fire.

\---

They tapped out all their final thoughts on their various classmates’ projects fairly quickly, only three or four puffs in before they had to spark the joint back up again.

“That Boston wind,” Jughead noted as he helped Betty make a house with his hands.

Betty laughed as she breathed out a hit, having successfully lit it up. “Spoken like a seasoned Boston smoker,” she said, impressed, passing the J to him.

Jughead took his two hits and then a generous swig of coffee. “So,” he said as Betty took a hit and watched the ducks on the pond. “I could see why this would be the perfect place to get high for the first time.”

Betty tore her gaze away from the ducks to meet his eyes with her radiant greens, shining with relief and some kind of stoned magic. “So perfect,” she agreed. She bumped her shoulder lightly with his as he took another hit and let out a good, deep cough. “I’m glad I could share it with you.”

They passed the joint back and forth in silence for a few hits, just enjoying the warmth of the summer day, the breeze off the water, and the sounds of the city, alive with possibility. 

Jughead finally broke the silence after handing Betty back the joint. The thought had been brewing for a couple days, but it also hit him that he wanted to do it faster than he thought he would. He was suddenly certain of it.

“So,” he said, clearing his throat.

Betty looked up at him, correctly sensing he was preparing himself to say something important.

“You’ve shown me a couple of your spots now,” he said.

She nodded. “It’s felt like showing you myself...more fully. If that makes sense,” she admitted. 

Jughead tensed a little inside. She’d hit the nail right on the head. He breathed in, out. “It’s felt that way for me too,” he said. She watched him carefully, sensing his unease but not wanting to press him.

“I think it’s my turn to show you around JP,” he finally said. It felt like letting a weight off his chest when he finally blurted it out.

Betty’s eyes lit up at the words. “I...would love to, Jug. As long as it won’t be, like...triggering for you.” She chose her words carefully and he could tell she was trying not to upset him, which he appreciated probably more than an angstier and younger version of himself would’ve been able to.

He flung an arm around Betty, noting that the joint in Betty’s hand had gone out, neither of them wanting to ruin the moment to relight it just yet. “It’s not gonna be easy,” he said, pulling Betty closer into him. “But it’ll be worth it, so that you can get to know... all of me. I want you to.”

Betty gazed at him, tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes. “I’m so excited,” she said, and he shook his head, ever-amused by her. He kissed both her cheeks and her lips before wiping up her tears with the pads of his fingers. “Wanna relight that joint?”

Betty smiled as they both sat up, re-adjusting themselves on the giant roots of the tree. Jughead brought his coffee cup to his lips while Betty went to work sparking up the joint.

As Betty let out a hit with a satisfied sigh, he let out his a moan of his own after sipping his coffee. The energy of the caffeine and the relaxation the weed always brought him were somehow evening out. He felt alive but calm. 

“Mmm, you were right about coffee and weed, Betts.”

“Life-changing?”

“Life-changing.”

  
  


**Thursday, July 26**

Betty had a decent day at work. She stuck around for five minutes after her day shift ended, laughing with one of her co-workers at the front counter until customers ambled over to check out.

“See you Saturday!” she called to nearby coworkers as she finally left Urban for the day.

Out on the street in the mid-afternoon sun, Betty fished her phone out of her pocket and scanned her lock screen for what she’d missed over the past six hours. 

There were like, 15 new texts in her friends’ group chat, but Betty chose instead to click on a text from Jughead. It was a reminder text that he’d head over to her apartment after he closed up the coffee shop. Betty smiled down at her phone. Waiting until close felt too long to her. As she pulled her weed pen out and headed out of Harvard Square, opting to enjoy the summer day by walking home, Betty began concocting a plan.

\---

As he organized and refilled the syrups behind the counter, Jughead’s mind couldn’t help but wander toward what awaited him when he and Betty were together tonight. The plan was for Jughead to sleep over Betty’s before their JP adventure the following day. He’d been practically bouncing on the balls of his feet for his entire shift, filled with an energy equal parts nervous and excited. Opening up so much of himself to Betty was a big step. But more than anything else, he kept thinking about how he couldn’t wait to show her all his most favorite places. He kept imagining her reactions and smiling to himself. And that was how he knew he was truly ready.

He glanced over at the clock for the millionth time that day and sighed. Well, at least it was only two hours until he got to see Betty at this point. Jughead was almost relieved to hear the bell chime and watch a couple walk in. He greeted them kindly, scrawling names on cups in Sharpie. His co-worker was on his break, so Jughead was doing double cashier/barista duty. He looked up to see if there were any other orders to take before making their coffee and was surprised to see Betty’s face smiling back up at him.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Betty said, a dorky grin fixed on her face at his red face and look of complete surprise.

He cleared his throat. “It’s really good to see you,” he said. He leaned forward across the counter, as close as he could while still being at a work-appropriate distance. “I was just thinking about how I couldn’t wait to see you tonight.”

Betty smiled. “Well, you get to see me now.” She patted her backpack on her shoulders. “I brought some reading.” 

Jughead grinned. “What’ll you have?” 

“You _know,_ ” Betty countered.

“Medium coffee, a splash of cream, and is this a one or two sugar day for you?”

Betty looked impressed. “Two sugars, please.” She resisted the urge to lean up and peck him on the lips, as she would’ve undoubtedly done if he was preparing her coffee in her own kitchen.

“And one of those muffins I like so much,” she added, digging out her wallet for cash.

“Oh, that was already a given, Betts,” Jughead said as he punched her order in on the register and applied the 20% friends-and-family discount. “I know you.” He shot her the goofiest grin she’d ever seen as she placed the cash in his hand and reminded him to “keep the change” with a sultry look.

“I’ll kiss that smile off your face when you’re off the clock,” Betty said as she settled herself on her now-favorite stool along the counter. 

“Promise?” Jughead said as he bustled around behind the counter making coffee for Betty and the couple before her, who were thankfully seated at a table and seemingly not in a rush.

Jughead barely had time to deliver the couple and Betty their coffees before a line of mostly to-go customers shuffled in the door, keeping Jughead busy as everyone in Allston got their late afternoon coffee fixes.

When Jughead’s co-worker came back from break, Betty immediately recognized him as the one who had been working the first time she’d surprised Jug at the coffee shop, back when they were still just friends. He seemed to recognize her, coming behind Jughead and talking lowly in his ear.

Jughead rolled his eyes. “What’s up?”

“Ponytail Girl over at the counter looks familiar.”

Jughead rolled his eyes, taking advantage of grabbing a cup for the order he needed to fill to walk closer to Betty and introduce them. 

“This is my girlfriend, Betty,” he said to Colin’s surprised eyebrow-raise. “Betty, this is my annoying-as-fuck coworker Colin.”

“You love me,” Colin teased. 

“Nice to meet you,” Betty said, smiling. “Hope you don’t mind. I got here just a _little_ too early to pick Jug up from work.”

Colin laughed at that. “No worries at all. Enjoy your book,” he said, giving Jughead a wink before taking over cash register duty. Jughead grinned at Betty before turning to cap the customer’s coffee and hand it off. 

Betty spent those final two hours of Jughead’s shift alternating between reading her book and people-watching. Well, to be honest, she was mostly Jughead-watching. She could always tell when he was being overly polite and was likely complaining incessantly about a customer in his mind. She watched amusedly as he delivered curt nods to the more annoying college kids and out-there crustpunks. Whenever he got close to her spot, she whispered a little flirtation under her breath, relishing in the way his cheeks reddened every time as he smirked at her and continued diligently working.

\--- 

Jughead offered to lock up, letting Colin leave right at close with a smirk on his face that made them both blush. As soon as Jughead clicked the lock behind Colin, he immediately came over to where Betty was standing up from her stool and stretching out her arms. Jughead took Betty in his arms, cupping her face as he gave her a long kiss. She smiled up at him when he released her. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for hours,” he said.

“Don’t be dramatic, it was _two_ hours,” Betty teased. “But same.”

Jughead released Betty and ambled back around the front counter to close out the register. “Let me do my last work things and then we can go. What do you want to do?”

Betty’s eyes twinkled, making it clear to Jughead she had something in mind. “What do you say to a bowl in our little playground spot?” she asked.

Jughead smiled as he printed the end-of-day totals. “That sounds perfect. In that case, I’m definitely making myself a coffee. You totally sold me on the weed and coffee combination.”

“You make me proud,” Betty said, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

She sat back down on her stool and remained silent to let Jughead count out the cash, texting Cheryl and Kevin an update in their relentless group chat. Jughead made himself a cappuccino before shutting down the machines and doing one last wipedown, satisfied it was clean enough to leave for Colin, who would be covering the store with one of their newer hires tomorrow while he and Betty had their adventure. 

“You ready?” Jughead said, moving to turn off the back lights and grab his backpack from behind the counter. 

Betty smiled, throwing her own backpack on. “I was born ready.” 

Betty held Jughead’s cappuccino for him as he locked up and then, before Betty knew it, they were walking hand-in-hand in the direction of the playground, Jughead letting out his real feelings about all the customers from the past two hours as Betty laughed and added in her own observations. 

“That last bitch was totally checking you out,” Betty said, thinking of a redheaded girl who had lingered at the front counter longer than she would have liked. 

Jughead brought her hand up to his lips and gave her knuckles a kiss. “Look who’s jealous now, Betty Cooper.”

Betty playfully swatted at his chest with her other hand, making him laugh. “Fine,” she said. “We can call it even.”

“Deal,” Jughead said, taking his hand out of Betty’s to place an arm around her shoulder instead. She smiled and leaned into him as they walked the last five minutes to the playground. 

Betty and Jughead decided to straddle one of the low balance-beams on the playground, sitting face to face as Betty pulled a water bottle and a grinder out of her backpack. Jughead’s eyes lit up when she pulled her trademark blue bong out of its case. 

“Twerk! It’s good to see you, ma’am,” he joked.

Betty shook her head. “You’re never getting over that, are you?”

“Never,” he said. 

Betty filled the bong with water and pinched weed from the bowl. “More Blue Trainwreck,” she said to Jughead’s questioning eyes. 

He smiled. “I’ve been enjoying the Blue Trainwreck.”

“Me too,” Betty gushed, passing him the packed bong and a lighter. “Nothing like a good hybrid.”

Jughead laughed, aiming the lighter at the top of the bowl and watching the thick white smoke travel up the column. After breathing out a decent-sized hit and passing back to Betty, he said, “I’ll just smile and nod and act like I know what you mean.”

Betty shrugged. “You will soon enough, my newbie stoner love.” She took a deep hit, closing her eyes as she held the smoke in her mouth. Jughead watched her, the corners of his eyes already beginning to droop and relax. He shook his shoulders out, excited for a night and consecutive day off with Betty. 

Betty smirked at him as she passed the bowl back. “You watching me?”

Jughead nodded. “Most of the time, yeah.” Betty blushed and watched closely as Jughead took a big hit. He let out a huge cough when he finally released the smoke, his eyes watering as he quickly passed Betty the bong back and steadied himself on the wooden beam with one hand while covering his mouth with the other.

Betty laughed, holding the bong high and away from his coughing fit. “I’ve been there so many times,” she said as his coughing finally died down.

“I believe it,” he said, leaning forward and pecking Betty’s lips. When he pulled back, Betty burst out laughing again after one look at his red-rimmed, completely stoned eyes. 

“Gotta cough to get off?” Jughead guessed.

Betty laughed. “Precisely,” she said before diving onto what was left of the bowl and torching it. 

She poured out the water and placed the bong back safely in its case in her backpack, wanting to soak up the silence and the feel of she and Jughead’s feet occasionally touching as they swinged their legs back and forth. 

“I really like this,” Jughead said, breaking their comfortable silence.

“Me too,” Betty said softly, though she wasn’t even entirely sure which part he was referring to.

“I mean, you. But also weed,” he clarified.

Betty nodded, eyebrows perking up curiously. 

“I thought weed would just be a way for me to go to sleep,” Jughead explained, turning from Betty to look across the dark playground. “But it’s become so much more. I’m enjoying it in so many of the ways you described. It really tears down some of the barriers my social anxiety creates for me...and lets me just have actual fun.” His eyes flicked back across Betty’s face, soft as she listened intently.

“Jug, I couldn’t be happier to share that with you,” she said, her voice cracking a little when she finally spoke.

Jughead reached forward for her chin so unbelievably tenderly, slowly leaning in and giving her a deep kiss, emotion poured into it that Betty could feel all the way down to her toes. 

When Jughead’s eyes opened, Betty’s were still closed. He watched her, the completely serene look on her face making Jughead’s stomach clench with this undeniable feeling of...admiration? He was having more and more trouble deciphering the new emotions that Betty was constantly causing him to feel.

Betty’s eyes finally floated open. “I know that look,” Jughead immediately said.

“Wanna put on music and go swing?” she blurted out, nudging her shoulder in the direction of the swingset. 

Jughead grinned before moving to get himself up from the beam. “Does that answer your ques-” he cut himself off when he ungracefully fell from the beam. Betty covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed and laughed. Stoned as fuck, all Jughead himself could do was chuckle as he sat in the dirt shaking his head and wiping happy tears from his eyes.

Finally, Betty stood up, dusting off her clothes and giving Jughead a hand to help him up. She gave him a sound kiss on the lips as he clambered to his feet, before running off in the direction of the swingset, challenging Jughead to run after her. 

Betty loved the feeling when your feet first hit the air, loved that familiar somersault in her stomach for that first split second that it felt like flying. Jughead turned the volume up on his phone, turning on a playlist and putting his phone in his flannel pocket before joining her on the swings. Soon both of them were pumping their legs in that desperate, forever mission to get higher and higher toward the sky. Being stoned sometimes felt like getting to tap into that simplicity and short-sightedness of being a child. Just a little break from the realness to feel joy and presence in that moment.

Betty looked over at Jughead, who was smiling at her with a goofy grin on his face again. It made Betty want to throw her head back and scream into the night. 

Cheryl’s words swam to the front of Betty’s mind. _Maybe she’s right,_ Betty thought. _I think I’m falling in love with him._

\---

When Betty and Jughead finally returned to Betty and Cheryl’s apartment, they crowded into the bathroom to brush their teeth, desperate to get to Betty’s room without being cornered by Cheryl or Toni. Jughead went ahead to the room with explicit instructions to pack a bowl with the indica on Betty’s vanity while she peed.

A couple minutes later, Jughead looked up from Betty’s vanity at the sound of the door opening, swiveling around to proudly present her with a fully-packed Twerk. Betty smiled at first but then laughed.

“What?”

“Almost perfect,” she said. “But you forgot to refill the bong with water.”

Jughead looked down at the royal blue bong, laughing when he realized it was empty. “So close,” he joked, handing it off to Betty, who immediately ran back to the bathroom to fill the glass piece.

They set themselves up against Betty’s headboard side by side as Betty closed her eyes through her first hit. “I love a goodnight bowl,” she said as she passed to Jug.

“Me too,” Jughead said, relishing the calm that continued to overpower him as he took his hit.

A couple hits later, Jughead had his arm around Betty, letting his fingertips dip and brush the tops of Betty’s boobs. She shivered when he let two of his fingers clamp around a nipple, swirling and making Betty bite her lip and moan a little even over the thin fabric of her sleep tank top. 

“Okay, okay,” Betty said, a little breathless. “Let me put down this bong first. Don’t wanna hurt poor Twerk here.”

Jughead laughed, releasing Betty from his grip as she placed the bong carefully back on her nightstand and laid down in bed, patting the space beside her in an invitation to re-align things horizontally. Jughead grabbed her face and kissed her as soon as he’d repositioned himself. Betty immediately tugged his beanie off and threaded her hands desperately through his hair. 

Jughead moaned as Betty pulled back and nipped at his neck. “Fooling around feels...even better stoned.”

Betty nodded appreciatively. “It really does,” she murmured, ceasing her ministrations to give him a deep kiss, making out with him as he took advantage of her momentary distraction to turn the tables and get ahold of her nipples again. She moaned into his mouth. “Jug,” she nudged him away with her arms and pulled her tank top off, revealing her bare breasts as he ogled and licked his lips. 

“Don’t tease,” Betty said, her eyes focused on his tongue swiping across his lips. 

“That a challenge?” Jughead said before taking one nipple in his mouth again and latching onto the other with his finger as Betty closed her eyes and made an erotic sound Jughead could feel in his dick. Betty raked her hands in his hair as he continued to suck. Soon, she propelled herself into his lap, needing to thrust against his tented pants for some relief.

Jughead groaned at the friction, helping her pull off her bottoms so he could trail his hands down her underwear and slip a finger inside. Betty moaned in his lap, breathing heavily as he worked her with his finger and continued to lick and suck at her nipples while she bounced up and down in his lap.

“Oh my God, don’t stop,” she gasped, her breath hitching in her throat. 

Jughead smiled, licking at the tops of Betty’s breasts as he added a second finger. He felt Betty clamp around his fingers as she came, gasping and moaning as she rode out her orgasm in his lap. 

“Holy shit,” Betty gasped as she came down and finally stilled in his lap. She cupped his face with her hands and made out with him as he awkwardly removed his fingers from his panties so he could settle them around her bare back. 

Jughead stopped kissing her for a second as he noticed that Betty’s hands were trailing down his pants toward his dick and he realized that somewhere in the beautiful chaos of their tryst, Betty’s underwear had come off. She was nestled in his lap, body completely covering his, and he realized they’d never been so close before. 

“I don’t want to stop,” Betty whispered, latching onto his neck and sucking a hickey there. 

“Me either,” Jughead panted back, moaning at the feel of Betty on his neck. “Oh, _shit._ Me either.”

Betty laughed, burying her head in his chest. “Maybe we should...take a beat. And talk about...sex?”

Jughead nodded, grinning down at Betty, who was suddenly avoiding eye contact. “Sounds like the kind of talk you’d love to have over a bowl.”

Betty placed her hand on her chest. “Oh, my _God_ , that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.” She leaned up and gave Jughead a deep kiss, making him moan into her mouth at the loss when she finally pulled away a full minute later.

Betty quickly excused herself to pee. When she got back, they returned to their position against the headboard, Betty packing a bowl while Jughead attempted to adjust his incredibly erect dick, making Betty smirk at him out of the corner of her eye.

“You want greens?” Betty offered, presenting the bong to him.

“Greens?” Jughead said, baffled. “Another stoner term?” Though he accepted the bong and took a hearty hit.

“Yep,” Betty said, laughing. “Basically means you get to have the first hit.”

“Ah, makes sense,” Jughead said, breathing out smoke and passing the bowl back.

Betty breathed her first hit out and shut her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “So...let’s talk.”

Jughead gripped her hand and she put the bong down so she could squeeze his hand back. “Should we like...talk about our sexual histories, maybe?” Jughead offered, unsure where else to begin.

Betty nodded, smiling in relief at his suggestion. “That seems like a good place to start,” she agreed. “I’ll go first...if you want.”

Jughead nodded appreciatively as he stroked her hand with his thumb. 

“So...I got my first kiss over with in a Spin the Bottle game in eighth grade,” Betty began. “And then there was no further action until my high school boyfriend,” she explained. “His name was Ted,” she wrinkled her nose in disgust and laughed as Jughead made a similarly disgusted noise.

“I mostly went out with him because he was the only other single guy in our friend group senior year and everyone was all paired up, so we just kinda...got together,” she explained. “I liked him well enough...I mean, he was my friend, but I never felt what I was supposed to. We made out a few times and he was the first guy to ever grope me over my shirt, but that was about it. We went to prom together, hung out with our friends all summer, and then broke up in August and went to college.”

Jughead nodded. “Sounds about right.”

“I was kind of a hermit romantically freshman year,” she explained. “I danced with a couple guys at parties that led to some meaningless dance-floor makeouts,” she admitted. “But I didn’t date anyone or do anything besides kiss. Then sophomore year…” This was the part she was most nervous to tell him, that she’d somehow managed to avoid without actually lying to Jughead for a long time.

Betty grabbed the bong from the side table and took a hit, smiling at Jughead when he squeezed her hand.

“You good?” he murmured, watching her carefully.

Betty smiled. “Yep. Anyway, as I was saying, sophomore year. There was one night at a party when I ended up hanging out with Reggie all night.”

Jughead’s eyebrows raised. “Yeah, so this is a dark turn in my dating history,” Betty admitted.

“Pass me that bong?” Jughead asked.

Betty nodded, quickly passing Twerk his way as he took a hit and she continued. “We ended up leaving the party together to get food and I was having so much more fun than I ever had with him before. I thought, maybe I got him all wrong, you know? We ended up kissing in the Allston McDonald’s and riding the train back to campus together. He walked me to my door, all that.”

Jughead put his finger down his throat jokingly as he passed the bong back to Betty and she laughed. “Yeah, that was honestly the highlight of the one-month relationship, if you could even call it that. We went on a few one-on-one dates that led to just making out, but mostly we just hung out with our friends like we did before. And our conversation was so lacking. He never understood me and was bored by the things I was interested in.”

“Sounds about right.” The jealousy Jughead expected to feel was somewhat there, but not as intense as he’d thought. As he listened to Betty talk about these other mediocre men, he was more and more certain that the two of them were good for each other.

“I also never really felt like...sexually compatible with him, I guess? We fooled around a couple times but I never wanted to go past second base with him because it never felt right. It all just felt so forced, so I broke it off with him sooner rather than later. As you know, he’s still bitter.”

Jughead shook his head. “So fucked up.”

“Well, sometimes your dumb mistakes haunt you,” Betty said, laughing and shrugging.

“Is that it?” Jughead asked. 

“One more guy,” Betty said. “I worked with him at Urban last summer, and we had like a three-week whirlwind fling. I thought we had so much in common and we ended up spending as much time outside of work together as we could. He was the guy I rounded third base with for the first time.” 

Jughead nodded, stomach clenching at the information. Betty cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. “Nobody has made me come besides you,” she said. “The guy from last summer - Johnny - tried a few times and it never happened.” She paused. “Really, none of them even tried to slow down and communicate with me.” She took a breath and then added, “No one understands me or my body like you. I’m honestly just so glad I never had sex with any of them, because now I get to experience that for the first time with you.”

Betty leaned up and gave Jughead a hard, passionate kiss, and his arms snaked around her, pulling her close as he made out with her.

“So…” Betty said. “Your turn?”

Jughead nodded, tangling his fingers with hers again as they repositioned themselves against the headboard.

“My history is super short,” Jughead said. “Just two people kissed me before everything I’ve done with you...well, three, if you count the time Fangs drunkenly kissed me to find out if I was gay.”

Betty laughed loudly at that one, grabbing the bong off the nightstand and clearing the bowl completely. As she ashed it, forcing her to let go of Jughead’s hand, he took the opportunity to nervously wring his hands out. 

“I also had my first kiss in a Spin the Bottle game,” Jughead said, making Betty pound fists with him jokingly. “Freshman year of high school, it was this girl’s first kiss too and she like, followed me around thinking we’d be together after, so that was awkward. I had to reject her.”

“What a lady killer,” Betty joked, though she felt weirdly jealous of this faceless teenage girl chasing a teenage Jughead through the halls of his high school.

Jughead laughed. “Then nothing until freshman year of college, when this girl in my hall I’d become friends with decided she liked me, and Toni convinced me to try going out with her.”

Betty gulped. She hadn’t realized he’d kissed anyone who went to their college, and she was worried to find out who, though she realized it was irrational since Jughead would have to see Reggie too. 

“Her name’s Sabrina Spellman,” Jughead said, and Betty shook her head, finding the name unfamiliar. “Well, she kissed me, twice, and I felt absolutely nothing. She was very angry when I broke it off with her and still glares at me when she sees me to this day.”

“Wow,” Betty said. “Want me to beat her up when school starts up again?” 

Jughead laughed. “Considering how jealous you currently look, it seems you won’t need my encouragement to do that.”

Betty bumped his shoulder with her own. “Well, that was uncomfortable, but we got it over with.”

Jughead slung his arm around Betty’s shoulder and pulled her close as they sat in a silence, both processing everything they just heard.

“I feel weirdly jealous too,” Jughead said. “But also more certain than ever that you and I are...right.”

Betty kissed him briefly and smiled up at him after releasing his lips. “Listen, Jug, I honestly never even realized I could feel the amount of sexual pleasure from a partner that I have since we started fooling around,” she said, making Jughead’s cheeks hot...among other things. “And we haven’t even technically done it yet. Though Cheryl and Toni have reminded me continuously that penetrative sex isn’t even necessarily as good as...other stuff we’ve already done. And some stuff we haven’t.”

Jughead nodded, smiling and filling in the blanks (he was pretty sure) in his head. “I’m excited to do it all for the first time together,” he said, kissing her softly on the cheek. 

“We’ll know when it feels right,” Betty said. “Right?”

Jughead looked more confident than Betty when he leaned forward to kiss her. “We will.”

“Let’s get some sleep for this adventure?” Betty asked, punctuated by a deep yawn. 

Jughead laughed. “Let’s do that.” He reached across Betty to turn off the lamp as she nuzzled herself on Jughead’s chest. 

Jughead stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep, looking down at her angelic face and feeling that tingle deep inside his stomach. He couldn’t believe he was here with her, that he was the one she’d chosen to experience all these things with, the one she wanted to use as a pillow at night.

_I think I could love her,_ Jughead thought before he joined Betty in falling asleep. _What does love feel like?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I studied abroad in the Netherlands we named one of our bowls “Ariel F. Twerk” so Betty’s piece’s name is dedicated to that particular bowl (which we buried, along with my bowl and my other friend’s bowl, at the feet of a Jesus statue in the town we stayed in.) True story. I told y’all this story was based on real life. Next chapter is a BIG one. Leave a comment if you liked it! Love y’all xoxo Maria

**Author's Note:**

> Drop a comment if you liked it! Would love to hear from you all. Love and hugs, Maria  
> Follow me on Tumblr at stonerbughead or on my Riverdale podcast Tumblr, bodysuitsforbughead


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